Thanks, friends!

I've had a lovely birthday, even though Mark is out of town and not here to help celebrate. Chris, Natalie, Maya and Mason, along with Math, though, have helped make this a wonderful day. Starting with Shipley donuts and presents first thing in the morning, to a fabulous Pei Wei lunch, to shopping and shopping and shopping (Maya's comment when we put her back in the car the last time: "Can we go home now? I'm worn out!" -- and she was!), even building a bear at Build-a-Bear, and then of course the icing on the cake (or should I say the cherry on the ice cream sundae?) was watching Chris crowned the first winner of the Austin Ice Cream Festival Ice Cream Eating Contest. (see Natie's blog for specifics and pics).

And now as I'm checking my email and blog reading, I'm finding lots and lots of messages with good wishes from each of you. Thank you! It's strange to feel like I know all of you, but understanding that it's very possible there are some that I will likely never meet. This is definitely a different way to cultivate friendships but that's what I feel we are doing and I love it.

"In friendship . . . we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another. . . the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting -- any of these chances might have kept us apart. But for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciple "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The friendshp is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding each another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of others." (C.S. Lewis)

I find such beauty in each of you -- thank you for sharing it with me!