Soon to be 36 ...

I can't exactly say what I was thinking when I was 'soon to be 35'. I'm sure I was doing much of what I have been this week ... Planning the festivities for my upcoming celebrations. Actually, I was doing just that.

I remember my birthday last year ... I sat in a friend's classroom and said, '35 is going to be a big year for me; God willing.' In some ways, it was a positive year; in other ways, a destructive one. I suppose the term 'big' can be relative.

Buying my first apartment is a pretty big step in the grand scheme of life ... It's a 'grown up' step, as a few friends told me.

Dealing with, and healing from, yet another major heartache is also pretty big. Nearly a year of heartache has been healed in ... 3 months. That's God. I am starting to feel like myself again, and I don't want to lose this feeling ... Ever again.

I set a new personal record in my marathon running & qualified for the 2014 Boston Marathon: no small feat.

Earlier this year, I lost my beloved grandmother ... A huge event that I will never completely heal from.

In one year, I have endured some life changing events; none of which I imagined when I said 35 was going to be 'a big year'. When compared to many other people's lives, it's not that bad at all, nor am I complaining about what life has thrown my way. I know I'm very blessed & I have much to be thankful for.

For one more year, God has kept me every day. I have an amazing family & my friends are my extended family. My job isn't easy by any means of the word, but it's an excellent one & I have the opportunity to mold little people every day.

When I'm going through it, feeling frustrated or sad & trying to figure out the whys of certain things, I remind myself that God must have something greater planned for me.

And now, with a week and a few days until my 36th birthday, I'm going to continue counting my blessings and becoming more of who I used to be; hopefully with some improvements. I was lost for a short while .... Glad to be getting back to 'me'.

Let's see what 36 brings ... Or what God puts in my path for my 36th year.