Twenty-Six

So today is my 26th birthday.  It's a rather uneventful day.  I'm in my cast after surgery, so I can't walk or drive myself anywhere, so I'm kind of at the mercy of everyone else for my birthday plans.  My dear sweet friend RB is picking me up from work to take me to lunch (so that I don't have to eat alone in my office) and then Mom and I will probably go out to dinner tonight since Daddy is in Vegas.  Like I said, nothing exciting.

The Bible Study I did with my youth group on Sunday night was a continuation on our study of 1 John.  This week, we talked about how God is love.  One of my youth wrote this on her dry erase board and asked everyone what they saw.

Life is all about opportunity and positivity.  Believe me, I have to remind myself of this all the time because it is not my natural inclination.  Do you see "love is nowhere" or do you see "love is now here"?  This got me thinking.  I went around the room and asked each youth to say something positive about their week.  I was surprised with how many of them struggled.  I challenged them for the coming week.  I asked each youth to write down something positive about each day and we will all share our lists next Sunday.  I am excited to hear what they have come up with.

In honor of my 26th year on this earth, I wanted to make a list of 26 blessings in my life.  Here goes...

1. I am blessed to have 2 wonderful, loving, and supportive parents.
2. I am blessed to have a great group of friends that listen to me whine, make me laugh, and uplift me.
3. I am blessed to be a part of a church that always amazes me.
4. I am blessed with an incredible sense of humor. (Don't act surprised that I included this one...ha!)
5. I am blessed to be part of a fantastic sisterhood of Kappa Alpha Theta.  I'm lucky enough to be an advisor and my sweet ladies sent me chocolate covered strawberries and cheesecake when I was at home recovering from my surgery.
6. I am blessed to live in a country where I can get the healthcare I need.  I'm not discussing politics here.  I am simply stating that I am fortunate to be able to have had surgery to fix my broken foot and to also have detected my almost-cancer before it became cancer this week.  (Maybe more on that at another time.)
7. I am blessed to have Princess Fiona as a loving and faithful (although sometimes grouchy) companion.
8. I am blessed to have a cute (but overpriced) apartment, even though I can't live it in right now (because I can't climb the 3 flights of stairs with my broken foot).
9. I am blessed to have lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins that I enjoy spending time with.  My family is a little crazy, but that's what makes them fun.
10. I am blessed with the sweetest Grandmother on the planet.  Seriously, y'all.  She is kind and generous and has the best heart.
11. I am blessed to have had the world's best Granddaddy.  The man was a wealth of knowledge, faith, and compassion.  I miss his laugh and his hugs.
12. I am blessed to have my Wofford education.  I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the college of my choice and major in Art History, while having amazing adventures with my new (and old) friends.
13. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to travel all over the world.  I've been able to go to places all over the USA and Europe.  
14. I am blessed to have had the good fortune to study and live in Rome, Italy for 4 whole months.  I would not trade that experience for the world!  I'm dying to go back.
15. I am blessed to have not 1, but 2 jobs in an economy where a lot of people are suffering to make ends meet.  This is not a bragging statement, honest.
16. I am blessed to live in such a great city.  Greenville has really grown in the past decade, and it has flourished into quite the destination.  I am proud to call it home.
17. I am blessed with relatively good health, despite my clumsy injuries (and migraines).  Damn migraines.
18. I am blessed to be able to pursue my passion for art through my jewelry business.  I've been working on a lot of pieces lately and I'd forgotten how much I love it.
19. I am blessed to have such a creative and talented group of friends and family.  They have started their own businesses, mastered their own crafts, and made the world a better place.
20. I am so blessed to work with my youth group.  They are such an inspired group of young people and they are changing the world.  I am so proud!
21. I am blessed to be able to sit down at this computer and share my thoughts, dreams, hopes, sorrows, joys, and flaws with the world.  Not everyone is so lucky and I know I take this freedom for granted some days.
22. I am blessed to have the means to support myself and to help those around me.  I am certainly not rich, and I live a lot of months paycheck to paycheck.  However, when I do have the means, I like to treat those around me and shower them with love.
23. I am blessed to have so much love in my life.  It is nice to sit back and bask in it some days.
24. I am blessed to live in a time where the knowledge of the world is expanding so rapidly.  I feel like I learn at least 5 new things everyday!
25. I am blessed to have woken up this morning!  We aren't ever guaranteed another day here.  One of my youth joked on Sunday and said, "I am happy to have once again broken my record of consecutive days lived.  I hope to break that record again tomorrow."
26. I am blessed to have wonderful readers like y'all!  Thank you from the bottom of my hot pink sparkly heart.

Love,

A