39 and Feeling Fine!

Birthday Reflections + My Year In Photos

Well, friends. It’s here. My 39th birthday is this weekend.

Thirty-Nine. It’s a big number…one I’ve anticipated for a long time with a touch of dread. I mean, who wants to turn 39? It’s the year that will mark the end of my thirties…the end of another decade…the end, when it comes down to it, of my youth. ICK.

But as the big day draws closer, I find that I’m so ready to say goodbye to 38 that 39 can’t come fast enough. You see, this last year was one of the most challenging years of my life. A year of triumph and heartbreak. Of joy and despair. Of immeasurable losses and indescribable gains. I was tested in every way I can imagine – physically, emotionally, spiritually. I’ve learned more about myself this past year than I thought possible. More, frankly, than I ever really wanted to know. But I’m pretty sure that we don’t get to choose our lessons. They choose us.

Now, if you find yourself wondering exactly what trials and lessons I was going through – don’t. That’s not the important part. What’s important is that I survived! I hung on, white knuckles and all, and I survived. So this weekend, when I blow out my birthday candles, for the first time in my life, my heart will be filled not with wishes – but with gratitude.

And then I will stride into 39 with my head up, my eyes clear, and my heart open. Yep. I’ve got this.