I look forward to my birthdays. Not for reasons you might think. It isn't what gift I can buy myself with the gift cards I'll get. I look forward to my birthdays every year so I can reflect on what I've learned, my experiences, my relationships with others and my walk with God. I like to take some good quality quiet time in the morning on my birthday and really think about the things I could have done differently and the goals I would like to set for myself, personally.
This year alone, I have met some really incredible and inspiring people. You can read about a couple of them here. Others include women in my community who inspired me to start a non profit. You can read more about that here. I stuck to my New Year's resolution of casting a wider net and forging lasting relationships with meaningful people. I could not be more excited about the friends I've made in 2012.
I found a church that is satisfying my spiritual needs in so many ways. It has been a struggle for me for two reasons. I have always felt totally disconnected from my home church, which I was a member of until my early twenties. I couldn't give you any specific reason. I just never felt a fulfilling relationship with anyone there, not even God. It is a great church, but it just didn't satisfy me. Secondly, since my Grandma Edna passed, it was just too hard to attend any church. If there was one thing I could put my finger on that made her so special to me, its this: she spent my entire life worrying and fussing over my salvation. It was special to me that she loved me so much. Most of my memories of her are in the backyard at her home, or in the church. Any time I would listen to a choir sing, go to Sunday school, or here any sermon, my heart would just hurt so badly, because I missed her so much. Oh, I still tear up at church, especially at Easter, because it was her favorite. But it is getting easier. And the congregation at my new church would just come over and hug me if they saw me crying. Which is AWESOME! Most importantly, I feel closer to God than any other time in my life. I actually want to glorify him. I want to spread His amazing love to everyone. I want to serve Him in any capacity. I want to lead my life with Christ in it, and I want my son to have me as an example of faith, like I did with my Grandmother.
However, within this last year, there have been some mistakes. I've snuck in a few bad habits I successfully gave up in the past. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I smoked a few cigarettes. My husband totally busted me, which was exactly what I needed. If you truly know me, you KNOW I hate to disappoint people. Especially those I love and care about. I am working hard again to overcome that habit, and I am headed for success.
I want to stay committed to a healthy lifestyle and stay active. I want to continue my walk in complete faith in Jesus Christ. I want to continue to serve my community in any way I am able. I have set some goals for my 36th year and they include (but are not limited to) registering for and running more races: 1/2 marathon, marathon and the Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim run. I've started my non profit and will diligently work to get a charitable status through the government. I am joining more than one group at my church to also serve. I am also committing myself to instill in my son a want to serve his community humbly, when he is old enough. And to serve his God.
Hope you all are having a happy Spring! And a belated Happy Easter to you all!
Happy Running!
Mallorie
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