Coming to my 57th Birthday isn’t a big, notable Birthday for me today (May 14), but it’s the 50th Birthday for Watertown Women’s Connection [our local StoneCroft group]; we had a big party planned for the luncheon today that was cancelled due to Covid 19. It’s also the 72nd anniversary of Israel being declared a sovereign nation in 1948.

This morning I made my own gluten free, dairy free chocolate-chocolate cake and my husband John shared it with me. We at it mid-afternoon; it’s got instant coffee in it as well as all the chocolate, so I know if I eat it too late in the day, I won’t go to sleep well, so I’ll virtually share it with you all.

I hope I can actually share a cake like this with you in Heaven some day! I’ve heard God has all our favorite things there, so this must be one of them. I’ve also heard everything in Heaven is made of light, so no calories and no clean up!

This Proverb has always meant a lot to me:

Proverbs 31:28

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:

As this Proverb declares, the Lord has mightily blessed me with children and a husband who rise up and call me blessed. I’ll share with you some of my blessings.

My granddaughter Ashlynn called and talked to me this morning on her daddy’s phone. She started with, “Happy Birthday Grandma” then told me she’s wearing Mommy’s dress and some makeup. Mom was still sleeping and so was her big sister. She took me for a tour of her toys, telling me about the new ones she got a week ago when she turned 4. Here’s her picture; she was afraid her teeth would start falling out when she turned 4!

Then she took me to her bedroom and tried to find something under her bed; she couldn’t reach what she wanted, but gave me a “virtual tour” of the rest of the bedroom as her big sis slept on. Her dad and mom got me a new Kindle and 6 months of Kindle Unlimited to try. I recently deleted Kindle from my phone because it wasn’t working right, then couldn’t get it to download again, so I’d just been thinking I could use a new Kindle. I’d sold mine several years ago when the app worked on my phone. I count this as another instance of God knowing what I want/need before I even ask!

On Mother’s day, my Pennsylvania son Harold and grandsons Owen and Logan did Google Hangouts video chat with me. I got an email this morning. Their family sent me a gift card so I can buy something off my Amazon wish list. Owen and Logan did a video Hangout with me this afternoon and their mom Jana sent me a Happy Birthday text. After spending a week tearing down the playground in their back yard, they just finished putting up a swing set in the yard. They’ve gotten too big for the slides, but still enjoy the swings. It gives Jana more garden space as well another piece of lawn. Here are the boys checking out the new swing set.

My granddaughter Faith sent me a Birthday text this morning. Her dad, my son Alex, called me a little while ago. We’re eager to visit when the restrictions are lifted and are putting aside things to take to them. They sent me this homemade card the beginning of the week. I love my creative, artistic grandchildren!

My daughter in California sent me a comfort package from Taproot Magazine‘s store which arrived last weekend. It had a yellow beeswax pine cone-shaped candle, a “make-do-dream” sticker, a ceramic/clay handle-less tea mug with a tin of ‘Marble & Milkweed Tea For Dreamers’, and a hand dyed cotton scarf. They also did a Skype chat with me. Since Mother’s Day was 4 days before my Birthday, I got a nice card from her family for that as well. I love the fancy cards she finds; I have a pop-out butterfly card hanging in my office from a year ago and they sent a pop-out flower this year: Oh, as you see beneath the card, I got the middle of my puzzle done, but there’s lots of blue sky and green grass left to finish! The middle is the stones of Stonehenge which were interesting to piece together. The puzzle has gone to the bottom of my things to do list for now. Monday I got a new book to proofread from my publisher which kept me busy for two days and again today typing up corrections to send to her.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon expanding our garden beds and filling in with wheelbarrows full of compost and soil, after I’d spent the morning doing my weekly house cleaning for a friend. These are the flowers John picked for me while out turkey hunting this morning and he blessed me by making supper and cleaning up dishes. It’s a busy time of year for us even with the sequestering!

I leave you with encouragement from Havilah Cunnington and verses from two songs that have been running through my head the past two days.

Surrounded (Fight My Battles) by Elyssa Smith

It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You!It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You!

This is how I fight my battles! This is how I fight my battles! My weapon is a melody!

Way Maker by Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu

(God) You are way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness…My God, that is who You are!

Even when I don’t see it You’re working, even when I don’t feel it You’re working; You never stop; You never stop working! You never stop working! Amen.