It's my Birthday today. I kept forgetting about it, been busy thinking of other things, working at other things, and so as today arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself just wanting to soak in the day.

Content is the operative word. I just feel so content! My room is a bit of a mess, I've barely a penny to my name, there are a ton of things I could work at, but all of it can wait, because today, I am going to just soak in the day.

Birthday's after all, are about being gifted days, a lifetime of them. Liking to quip that I am halfway through my life, and while that may or may not be true, this 'second' half of life is a new adventure just waiting to happen.

And I realize that no matter how much we prepare for new adventures, part of what makes an adventure, is that we are never really prepared!

Think of things like marriage and children and university and career and public speaking and travels and leadership and ... and ...

We are never truly ready are we! No matter how much we try.

There are always things that catch us off guard, that test our resolve, and challenge us to dig deeper than we had ever, ever imagined would be necessary.

It is a good thing we cannot really see ahead!

Birthdays, a great day to look ahead, also give us pause to look behind, to see the way of our life. Looking back I see a lot of fantastic stuff, and a lot of really crappy stuff, all mixed into one grand journey. A journey where I have learned of God's heart for me, and where I am content with whatever life may bring.

And out of it all, here are a few of my favourite things...