turning 31

For some reason I had a difficult time with turning 31.What is being 30 suppose to look like? Should I be acting different or looking different? After I turned 30 I assumed that one day I would have an appifany that would give me insight into this new stage in life called 30s. This did not happen and I was by no means overjoyed at the prospect of turning 31…that was until I received one of the best gifts ever.

For a while I have been asking my mom to tell me about my birthday…what was the day like, what do you remember, how did it impact you. Well, this year she finally sat down and wrote me. Here are a few excerpts from my mom’s birthday letter to me.

“Your birth was planned out as to time of year I wanted to have you, how far apart from your sister you were to be…we even knew you were a little girl beforehand”

“The time of the year you were born is one of my favorite, I loved and still do love early summer. Back then you could count on warm days and cool nights”

“I was 22 when I had you Jess, I had lost one child due to a genetic defect... Neither April or Mandy's birth was an easy birth and I had come to understand that when I decided to get pregnant with you, I knew I would never have any more children.

For me, both you and Mandy were literally gifts from God, both births being special for different reasons, you because you were the last child God was giving me.”

My mom’s words humbled me. I have been looking at this birthday all wrong. I was in a slump for turning older when my moms words reminded me that a birthday is to remember the gift of life. Thank you Mom for the letter it was truly the best gift.