Blessings

Yesterday was my birthday...and I had the loveliest sort of day...even if the skies were crying over the news that I'm another year older.

Ryan surprised me at 5 am (ohhhhhh alarms are as evil at 36 as they were at 35) with cupcakes and coffee in bed. The perk of being a grown-up is permission to have a cupcake for breakfast. Braeya helped me blow out my candles...marking the first day she's EVER gotten this close to fire.

And when I got to work...my co-workers spoiled me rotten. Gift bags lined my desk...filled with all manner of coffee and chocolate related items, among other things.

I felt pretty loved and spoiled. Even if my cat tried to steal the cupcake.

Yesterday I sent an email to someone outside the station...someone I work with to help schedule interviews. We chatted about birthdays and adventures, and he told me a story about a friend of his that had a birthday a few weeks ago. She wanted to go for a hike, and he's quite the adventurer, so he took her on a birthday extravaganza...complete with a cupcake, candle, and the singing of happy birthday.

He told me that a few years back, he started thinking of small ways he could bless people who could use a blessing...and he's had fun doing it.

And THAT made me think of a few years ago when the very same sort of thing happened to me. A gentleman in my church was putting his life back together after a really painful divorce. He was the first person I ever met who used a time of horrific pain to really hunker down, learn everything possible, and begin anew. That year, he bought 2 season tickets to Beef & Boards, which is a dinner theater...if you're not from this area and not familiar with it. He called up a whole bunch of his friends - including me - who didn't have the money for those sorts of fun things, and asked us to pick the show we'd like to see.

I picked Grease. :)

And so the night of the show, I got all dressed up, and he picked me up at my house, drove all the way there, and we enjoyed a really scrumptious dinner {good seats!!} and watched the show. It really was lovely. I didn't date much in my life prior to Ryan, and even though this was NOT a date, it was a chance to get pretty and go have fun and enjoy something outside my budget.

So all these things have left me thinking...how can I bless someone who might not have the opportunity to enjoy something I take for granted? What little things could I do to reach out and offer a dash of joy to someone else...birthday or no birthday?

My mind is in motion. What fun this can be!!!

What about you? Someone in your life need a blessing that you have the means to give? What if you did it?