Thank You!

Thank you, Precious Friends, with all my heart, for every expression of birthday love.

I want to acknowledge a couple things. First, I seldom have a tough day. I stumble, but I stay on my feet. And in the process, I know the sweetness of hard work. And sometimes it doesn’t even feel like hard work. It feels more like, yes, I’m doing this! I feel the reward of growth before actually reaping it. That’s not so tough. And that describes my Sunday. I fell asleep crying, but it was a soul-searching, contemplative cry, not a sad cry.

And then there was Monday, my actual birthday. I could anticipate the sweetness of the pain, but I was hurting. And there were moments when the reward didn’t seem worth the pain. I knew it was, intellectually, but there were moments when I didn’t feel up to it.

On Tuesday, yesterday, I made this post: “My capacity for joy can’t exceed my capacity for pain. And so it is with a brave and grateful heart that I face both.”

By last night, I was reveling in love’s peace and joy again, the kind that always follows a good round of pain.

I don’t ever want to forget that pain is inherent in growth, empathy, and compassion. And without those, there is no love.

Also, I am especially thankful for a few friends who sensed my pain, without running to my rescue or offering sympathy. They knew me well enough to trust me. And that’s a beautiful expression of love.

And on a very joyous note, “Love is our Legacy.” Yours and mine. Thank you, Valerie Ann Stemberger, for painting your heart out and sharing it with me on my birthday and every day. And thank YOU for being my friend. Whether we have actually met or not, I treasure our connection. We share the same essence. And I love you.