I had an interesting thought today..... at least it was interesting to me. Those of you who follow me on facebook will know that I have been obsessing about my 30th birthday that occurred over the weekend. I have come to terms about leaving my 20's. It wasn't that I thought 30 was old or that I thought I would feel different, it was just that my 20's really were very good to me. In my 20's I met my husband, bought our first house, got my Commerce degree, got married, got my first real "grow up" job, went back to school and got my Education degree, bought our second (and current) house, brought my baby girl home to that house, bought a minivan, and brought my baby boy home to that house as well. In my 20's I became a university graduate, a wife, and a mother. I learnt to be comfortable in my own skin. I laughed a lot and cried a lot. I grew up.
On my birthday I began to think about where I was when I entered my 20's. I was living across the world, literally, in Australia. After a horrible few weeks of homesickness I began to settle in. I began to get to know my wonderful roommate (Nat, you really were wonderful!). I began attending an AMAZING church that I would never have left except that the commute every Sunday from Canada would have been way too difficult ;) The people always greeted me with such love and enthusiasm that it felt like my home. I also began my classes at Deakin University and got to know a wonderful man (also from my church) who led the Christian group on campus and always kept an eye out for me (thanks, Daniel!). I began making friends and then two months into my Australian adventure I celebrated my 20th birthday. I remember a group of friends surprised me at a restaurant. It was a loving gesture that I really needed. They took me to a restaurant that served breakfast. This sounds strange but in Australia they did not mix sweet and savoury for breakfast. My friends thought it was super strange that we would have pancakes and eggs on the same plate. They felt like they had to try it so they took me to this restaurant. I don't remember what I ordered nor do I remember the name of the restaurant or what most of the conversation was about. I just remember feeling very loved after a period of time when I felt so alone in a strange country. None of them probably know the impact that evening had on me but they made me feel loved at a point in my life when I really needed it.
When I woke up on my birthday this past weekend I woke up to my little girl determined to give me my birthday present even though it was not even 7AM. My husband took care of the kids and let me sleep in (after I opened my present). We spent the day with family and friends and I ended the day sitting comfortably on the couch with my husband. I think I am pretty lucky to continually begin new decades of my life feeling loved.
