"Thank you for my birthday presence."

Today is my birthday. 58. I am having a party all day. No one is attending. Everyone is (a) present. Boxes, paper and ribbon. Sizes, colors and shapes.

Today is my birthday. I love the messages I receive: Happy Birthday. Blessings. Joy. Celebrate you. Mom singing the birthday song on the phone (yearly tradition). Facebooked. Twittered. Carded. Loved. I love my gifts: Friends. Colleagues. Family. Writing. Caring. Work. Sharing. Walks. Bentley. Movies. Pizza. Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Dough. Reading. Solitude. Praying. Reading. Listening. Reading. Hearing. Knowing.

 Today is my birthday. It's a day to remember the miracles: Birth. Wonder. Curiosity. Learning. Creating. Teaching. Giving it all a way. Giving it all away.

Today is my birthday. It's a day to thank everyone for the gifts of their time, their hearts, their wisdom, their critique, their firmness, their tenderness, their patience, their forgiveness, their friendship, their discipleship, their heart.

 Today is my birthday. Yesterday was my birthday. Tomorrow will  be my birthday. It's your birthday, too. Go on, open the presence.

 For empahsis - (b)