*treinta y cinco

I just wanted to write down about my birthday today.  I was wishing today that I'd documented each birthday - you often think, this is the best one ever!! but it still just runs together with the rest of the years. Well this wasn't one of those best birthdays ever, but it was emblematic of my life currently. It was fairly uneventful all day - I watched my friend's little guy this morning, we walked to CVS, enjoyed some sunshine, took Vera to her (first!) violin lesson at school... I did make gnocchi with brown butter and sage (yum) and had bought a few small special cheeses at Whole Foods along with some wine.  Ruth should have been getting ready for bed, but I held her for a few minutes at the table.  She was just in a diaper and her sweet warm little body was so loveable. Vera sat us down later and they sang Happy Birthday while she twanged out some notes on her violin [she actually did improve in the hour or so she played around with it after her first lesson] - that was incredibly sweet and made me tear up a bit.  The girls drew me several cards which they were so excited for me to open. They gave me a postcard OF some handmade baskets from Bolivia [they disappeared at the market on Sunday, I thought they actually bought something hahaha]. Edie picked out this lovely card for a 90 year old but the two both had near-meltdowns because Vera was trying to sign it too... I don't really know what when on with that.  When I read it I had a hard time not crying from laughing so hard and trying to not make Edie feel badly because her card was hilarious.

Anyway, it was funny and fun and I am grateful. I had some reflection time this morning in the 20 minutes Ruth was sleeping and before Isaac came - I realized lately some major failings of mine as a mom [please don't say otherwise :)] and was totally humbled. Reflected on the words of one of my favorite hymns and it felt very real today: Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be. Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee!  What good words - I'm going to remember this 35th birthday and move forward with His grace, loving my family and my friends and neighbors like He has loved me!