A Happy Birthday

1. Greetings from God's Word upon rising:

Psalm 66:2 Make His praise glorious. Isaiah 43:21 This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise. Jeremiah 33:8-9 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth. Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifiece of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Psalm 86:12-13 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. Exodus 15:11 Who is like You, O Lord, . . .glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Revelation 15:3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous areYour works, Lord God Almighty!"

All of Psalm 39 including verses 4-5: Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. And verse 7: And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

2. Beautiful, groggy children facing me from the leather couch in our bedroom, appearing on time out of habits of discipline, listening to Micah 7 with us and singing God's praises with hymn 621 whose first lines came to me in the wee hours of the morning.

3. A quarter mile swum in our gorgeous heated pool at the clubhouse, next to my husband, and alone in the whole pool, under a rain cloudy sky and occasional cool sprinkles. Enveloped in his love.

4. Safety driving to Parkland where Becky gave eleven inches of her rich, golden hair to Locks of Love and had a nice professional haircut for her generosity. Followed by more safety driving through torrential and much-needed rains to meet our friend Di Demick at Panera in Coral Springs for an early lunch. I had to drop Becky at the door, park the car, pocket my cell phone and my wallet, hide my purse under the seat, take off my sandals, and run through puddles to the restaurant.

5. Found a lovely, festive sweatshirt while Becky was shopping unsuccessfully for jeans to wear under the lovely diamond necklace that my husband gave me.

6. Returned to find my room cleaned up by Grace, my house cleaned up by Kilby, a new barrette from Nonnie, and a most wonderful and encouraging letter from a new dear friend. Added to that was a chance to make hospitality for the dear Fontanini family, a phone call from my old dear friend, albeit short for my fault, and another math lesson with my sweet kids.

7. Wonderful Psalm 89

8. Our Bible study group met at the large and beautiful home of one of our members tonight for a Christmas potluck dinner party. All but one current family were in attendance, and the spaciousness of the home allowed for much merry-making by the children and a festive atmosphere for the rest of us. I knew something was afoot when every child came to wish me happy birthday, but later they surprised me with a birthday cake in a dark room filled with love. There was even Boston creme pie and a generous, unexpected Christmas gift for Cal and me. We finished the evening with eight or ten Christmas hymns, our voices filling the Skarie's vaulted living room.

9. Psalm 139. Which Psalm I memorized twenty-six or -seven years ago and quoted for my parents as we sat in the living room alone at my birthday celebration around the tea cart at which Cal now types on his laptop late at night. That was the birthday of my first Boston creme pie which my mom had made from scratch. This is the Psalm that comes up on my psalmish lottery tonight.

. . . You formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with You.

Thank You, Father, for hearing my prayer and helping me to understand better, this day, what coram Deo means. Thank You for blessing my parents with me, for blessing me with my parents, and my husband, and my children, and my friends. Thank You for life and eternal life.