Ashley...having recently crossed another birthday threshold myself, I recognize something of this strange gathering of ages.
We do not become older by abandoning every person we have been. The child, the adolescent, the twenty-year-old, and the person we were only last year do not disappear when the calendar turns. They remain within us...some still carrying wonder, some carrying grief, some waiting to be welcomed into the life we are living now.
Perhaps growing older is not asking those earlier selves to leave.
Perhaps it is learning how to make room for all of them without requiring any one of them to govern the whole house.
Your reference to Psalm 131 makes “days i am weaning / days i am clinging” especially meaningful. A weaned child has not outgrown relationship. The child has learned another way of resting within it. There are days when we can sit quietly beside God, content simply to be near Him...and other days when we reach for Him with all the urgency of someone who needs to be held. I love that you make room for both without turning either into failure.
And this line...
“i breathe, i’m seen, by seeing thee”
You went outside preparing to pour out the grayness of your heart, and before you could speak, five small creatures interrupted you with beauty. Not an explanation. Not a solution. A visitation.
You became aware that you were seen through the act of seeing what had been placed before you.
Maybe this is one of the gifts age slowly gives us: the ability to recognize that God has been present within every version of us...the strong and sensitive, mature and messy, stable and silly...and that none of those years have been discarded.
The years do not merely take us away from who we were.
They gather us into who we are becoming.
Happy birthday, Ashley. May forty-two be another year of learning that the God who has accompanied every age of you still smiles as you dance and prance before Him.
Ahhh geez, thank you Kevin!!!! I appreciate your words!! GUESS WHAT, when I read this the other day, RIGHT AFTER I saw a deer and another baby! I brand new baby! The baby was nursing! WHAT!!!!!!!!! God is good!!! Thanks again Kevin, you know I always appreciate the time you take to read and comment on my stuff. And that last line, wow. I do dance and prance before Jesus!
Oh my Joanne!!!! I LOVE THAT VERSE! I never looked up that verse in the MSG, LOVE IT! WILL USE IT! Thank you!!! I know, the stickers, that is the inner child in me!!! (and teen). Thank you for your love and support Joanne!! I really appreciate you and I am really glad I met you!! And yes… birthdays can bring up stuff but like you said, IT IS A FRESH START TOO! You are awesome!
I LOVEEEEE THIS POEM ASH!! seriously LOVEEEE IT!! happy birthday big sis! i really do hope you enjoy it! and eat cakeeeee!! luv ya! enjoy your special year 🫶🏼
You are the sweetest to leave another comment, THANK YOU JESSYCA!!!! I will get to your DM eventually!! LOL. I have not read it yet, I just saw you wrote me! I will write back!
Great idea for the birthday journal!!
Thanks Jen!
Love the birthday journal idea and the poem! Happy birthday, sweet friend!
Thank you Carli!!!
You are so beautifully creative. Our Lord has given you amazing gifts!!
Thank you for sharing with us!
Ahhh thank you Teresa!
Ashley...having recently crossed another birthday threshold myself, I recognize something of this strange gathering of ages.
We do not become older by abandoning every person we have been. The child, the adolescent, the twenty-year-old, and the person we were only last year do not disappear when the calendar turns. They remain within us...some still carrying wonder, some carrying grief, some waiting to be welcomed into the life we are living now.
Perhaps growing older is not asking those earlier selves to leave.
Perhaps it is learning how to make room for all of them without requiring any one of them to govern the whole house.
Your reference to Psalm 131 makes “days i am weaning / days i am clinging” especially meaningful. A weaned child has not outgrown relationship. The child has learned another way of resting within it. There are days when we can sit quietly beside God, content simply to be near Him...and other days when we reach for Him with all the urgency of someone who needs to be held. I love that you make room for both without turning either into failure.
And this line...
“i breathe, i’m seen, by seeing thee”
You went outside preparing to pour out the grayness of your heart, and before you could speak, five small creatures interrupted you with beauty. Not an explanation. Not a solution. A visitation.
You became aware that you were seen through the act of seeing what had been placed before you.
Maybe this is one of the gifts age slowly gives us: the ability to recognize that God has been present within every version of us...the strong and sensitive, mature and messy, stable and silly...and that none of those years have been discarded.
The years do not merely take us away from who we were.
They gather us into who we are becoming.
Happy birthday, Ashley. May forty-two be another year of learning that the God who has accompanied every age of you still smiles as you dance and prance before Him.
Ahhh geez, thank you Kevin!!!! I appreciate your words!! GUESS WHAT, when I read this the other day, RIGHT AFTER I saw a deer and another baby! I brand new baby! The baby was nursing! WHAT!!!!!!!!! God is good!!! Thanks again Kevin, you know I always appreciate the time you take to read and comment on my stuff. And that last line, wow. I do dance and prance before Jesus!
I love the stickers!!
Birthdays are a reflective time. A time to take stock of where we are, where we wanna go.
Unfortunately, sometimes that can bring up some feelings of sadness and/or regret.
But it’s also a fresh start.
I love Proverbs 4:18 MSG “The ways of right living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.”
Shine on, baby!
Oh my Joanne!!!! I LOVE THAT VERSE! I never looked up that verse in the MSG, LOVE IT! WILL USE IT! Thank you!!! I know, the stickers, that is the inner child in me!!! (and teen). Thank you for your love and support Joanne!! I really appreciate you and I am really glad I met you!! And yes… birthdays can bring up stuff but like you said, IT IS A FRESH START TOO! You are awesome!
What a great idea! I love this!
Thank you Jan! I do it for Christmas too!!!
Happy birthday blessings Ashley! 💄🎂🤗🙏
Thank you Julie!
girly pop! i love this <3 happy birthday <3
Thank you!
“ i have days i am weaning
days i am clinging
and that’s okay”
i love these specific words you’ve written. how much they can resignate with us for our own walks.
Thank you Caiden!
Happy birthday Ash! 🎂. I love the part about a Philly heart. Very uplifting but real.
Thank you Steph! You are so sweet to comment again on this poem. I appreciate you! YES, I love the Philly heart too :-)
It's worth the second comment!!
I LOVEEEEE THIS POEM ASH!! seriously LOVEEEE IT!! happy birthday big sis! i really do hope you enjoy it! and eat cakeeeee!! luv ya! enjoy your special year 🫶🏼
Thank you little sister!!! I just luv UUUUU!!! 🩶♡
🩷luv u tooo!!
I still really love this!! 💜
You are the sweetest to leave another comment, THANK YOU JESSYCA!!!! I will get to your DM eventually!! LOL. I have not read it yet, I just saw you wrote me! I will write back!
LOL No rush! I take my time in between messages too so as not to overwhelm. LOL :)