Birthday Wishes & Thank Yous!

Yesterday I got to celebrate my birthday all day long! It sure was special. The day wasn't much different than any other, but the outpouring of love and birthday wishes filled my heart full.

I waited forever to celebrate thirty and did that all stinkin' month last year. (It was literally a piano-burning good time!) This year, thirty-one came way to fast! 

As time marches on and my Grampy (93) reminds me often that "today" is the youngest you'll ever be in your lifetime. I can't help but to ponder the awe of birthdays and celebration. Some could take it or leave it, but I love them! I love getting to have my own birthday and love getting to celebrate other's too. Why is that? Why are birthdays such a big deal? 

I think it's because of three things:

1) Birthdays remind us that life is a gift. It's important. It has meaning and purpose! You have meaning and purpose! You are a magnificent and uniquely created YOU and I am me. Life is valuable as we're not guaranteed tomorrow. We have this one life here on earth and it's up to us on what we're going to do with it. The Bible says that we were created in the image of God and each person is unique, valuable and loved and that's worth celebrating!

2) Birthdays allow us to take a moment to be thankful. As we close our eyes to blow out the candles, we need to look around and see the gifts that God has given us - even if our circumstances aren't ideal, there's always something to be thankful for. Let's commit to counting our blessings and remembering what we have.

3) Birthdays give us the opportunity to champion and cheer for those around us. Biggest cheers and best wishes for the birthday kid! We gather, we sing, we party, and we make wishes to celebrate those close to us and relish in the value (and gift!) of life.

Thank you for the birthday wishes, the birthday happies and adventures! I loved hearing you sing, reading your texts, and seeing your FB and IG comments. Thank you for making me feel so special and loved. I love y'all so much. 

Cheers to thirty-one! 
xoxo
Jes  

"Then God said,  “Let us make man in our image,  after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!" Genesis 1:26-27,31

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:13-16

Thirty-One.

deLinde Kids birthday dinner with Cali friends.

Birthday lunch at George's on the Cove in La Jolla.

Cake for breakfast with the Black Knights!

Mini birthday surprise with my Thursday night girls!

Laundry Love

Will take laundry detergent! 

Through our service project  last October with the Tuesday book club girls, we learned about Ms. Ruthie, an owner of a laundry mat in Pacific Beach, who does a lot for the local homeless community. 

A few of us decided that we'd like to meet Ms. Ruthie and take some laundry detergent to help support her "laundry love" efforts. We put together a small detergent drive for any laundry items--liquid detergent, laundry soap, dryer sheets, stain remover, etc. and coupled it with some travel-size toiletry items a friend and her family gave us. We gathered the items, took some time to pick a date, and finally ran down to PB to meet Ms. Ruthie and drop off the items. 

We arrived to a little quaint laundry mat where a sweet, unassuming lady met us behind a service counter in the back. We introduced ourselves as she was a bit shocked, but cheerfully surprised. We walked back to the car to grab the loot and once again met the same sweet lady still pleasantly riddled by our gifts. She gladly accepted and promised to give to anyone who needed. We chatted for a bit longer, promised to be back and to continue to keep her in our prayers. 

When we got into the car and drove away there was silence. Not a word from either of us for minutes. I was completely taken back at how easy it was to give. There weren't words for why I had waited so long to make a trip down to PB or why I haven't put forth more effort to grab an extra bottle of detergent while grocery shopping.

Finally, I broke the silence, "Wow, that was so simple. Why did we wait so long? How could that be so easy to do?" My heart was full of both love and guilt all at the same time. How did I get so caught up in ME that I'd missed little opportunities like that?

I was washed over with mixed emotions on how someone like me, who is blessed beyond measure, had dragged my feet in simply getting out of my bubble [or comfort zone!] to help...or do something for someone other than myself. With this in my heart and great counsel for a girlfriend, here's what we came up with: 

1. Any size gift or impact makes a difference. God says in the Bible that He cares more about the attitude and the heart of giver than the gift itself. The smallest random acts of kindness still makes a difference in someone's day.
2. Time doesn't stop. Such a simple and obvious truth, but we need to be reminded that putting something off until tomorrow can too soon become yesterday. If there's a nudge/desire/pull in your heart to do something, do it. We can't let busyness or perfectionism get in our way; otherwise we'll never get to it. 
3. Look down. When we compare ourselves to others, it's usually the times that we're looking up and suddenly aware of everything we don't have. Try looking down. Take a moment to become aware of everything you do have. Comparison is an instant joy killer and the quickest way to lose sight of your own blessings. When you do look down, most likely you'll see a need. And beyond that, typically a need that you can help meet. If you can't do it alone, enlist those other friends that are looking down too. God's love can motivate and move mountains. 
4. Generosity and kindness helps make the world go round. As if it's like magic, we tend to feel so much better when we give. Something special happens in our hearts when we take the attention (time and energy!) off of ourselves and refocus it to help someone else. Serving others brings meaning and fulfillment to our lives.  

With all of that, we decided to get in on the "laundry love" movement. Whether it's paying for a stranger's laundry, donating a roll of quarters, soap or dryer sheets, we want to encourage you to do something! And soon! Take a meal, share a smile, pay for some Starbucks, tutor a child, mow the neighbor's yard, or serve at a soup kitchen or local library. Share. Do. Give. We know it not only makes a difference in those around you, but in your life as well. 

xoxo
Jes

P.S. Want to donate to Ms. Ruthie's cause? Email me to drop off laundry detergent, dryer sheets, or other travel size toiletry items! 

 “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:7-8‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

Paul says, "Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭8:10-12‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 

An Overdue Thank You

Thank you.  

Words that I've needed to write for almost six weeks now as my family and I are living a new chapter of life. 

The night before my sweet Momma's funeral, my Dad, brothers and I had a moment to ourselves. Up until that point, we had been surrounded by Arkansas friends and family. They came to visit us, to check on us, to sit with us, and to pray with us each bringing a full heart to share in the love and the loss with us. Our California friends called, sent text messages, emails, cards and flowers. We had been covered in thoughts and prayers and love for days. 

But within that quiet moment my Dad said, "I still have to believe that God has good plans for our lives. That He is the God that we believe He is. And that your Mom is in heaven, a place so much glorious than this. She's not missing us. We're the ones missing her and we'll continue to miss her as we still have a lot of life to live on this earth. This isn't what we chose or what we wanted, but we still have to believe that God has a purpose and plan for the future. And we're going to have to have faith to live that way."

And right there, we chose to believe that God is who the Bible says He is. And that regardless of our life circumstances, He is good and still has a great plan for our lives. God has shown us His love through an indescribable peace and comfort to get through each day.

So, thank you. Thank you for calling and checking on us. Thank you for bringing food so we wouldn't have to worry about cooking a meal. Thank you for texting to tell us we're on your mind. Thank you for giving. Thank you for praying. Thank you for the beautiful flowers. Thank you for reminding us that we're not alone. Thank you for stopping by to see us. Thank you for asking. Thank you for sharing in our loss. Thank you for the cards. Thank you for sharing your stories and memories with us. Thank you for loving us. Most of all, thank you for being there. 

We love you too. 

We are grateful that God gave us you. Keep checking on us and praying for us as we begin to feel the impact of our loss in the coming weeks, months, and years of birthdays, holidays, daily life and special occasions. 

There's a box of beautiful cards that I'm still carrying around in hopes I'll soon find the strength to write my thank you's. Until then, please know that I keep you close to my heart and that I am truly grateful for all that you've done. Thank you so much. 

With love,   

xoxo

Jes