The Gift of a....

Every year, I share my birthday. It's sort of a family tradition. It all started when I had my first child. The wrapping paper was so colorful and fun....why does Mom get to open it and not Me?

And it's not that much fun opening presents with my kids all sitting there with sad looks on their faces because all the presents are for me instead of them.

Back in the day, we would go to the mall and let the kids choose something small at the Disney Store. We always had a modest price limit but they were thrilled beyond reason.

Then the Disney Store went out of business. I guess that kind of kills the trip to the mall. And the kids have school, and after that, after-school activities. I'm still trying to figure out the perfect thing.

And I doubt it means as much to them as it does to me, but as I thought about my birthday this week, I decided to give them something different. Well, and on a selfish note, I gave them something that I wanted.

Clean bedrooms.

Uhh, this is the part where you all realize how domestically challenged I am. It took me two hours per bedroom. And I didn't even clean under their beds. They do have these under-bed boxes though, so there's really not a whole lot to do. I usually make them shimmy under their beds to grab the stray toys and lost socks.

But this time I did it while they were in school.

And you know what? They didn't really care. My six-year-old son immediately filled his vacant dresser top with toys. My nine-year-old son was in heaven that I found his lost game. My six-year-old daughter was sure I stole all her bracelets...after all, if they're not all over the floor, they must be gone forever!

Just to make things fair, I cleaned my room too. I found more things that I had lost than what they had lost. What does that tell you? Oh, yeah, and it took longer than two hours to clean my room.

I won't say that my house is sparkling clean. It would take a crew of professionals to accomplish that. And probably a remodel. Seriously, there is only so much you can do with used carpet from the neighbor's house in your living room and an unfinished ceiling. Uhh, not to mention the eroding panel walls, the scary kitchen counters and we don't even want to get into what the bathroom needs.....

But, I will say that I feel happy every time I go into the kids' rooms. And, for rest of the house, I'm lucky enough to live in my future-house-of-my-dreams. It's what I've always wanted..room to move, a pasture out back with horses, my very own dance studio and a place for the kids to play.

In five years my house will be 100 years old. And I will always get to feel young next to it.

The only thing I wanted for my birthday was for my family to be happy. I was lucky enough to get that. And I feel blessed. When I think of everything else I have in addition to that, I feel grateful beyond words. Especially grateful for the One who gave me everything, and all that I will ever have.