It's my birthday today and…

How do you usually spend your birthday? Would you hold a big party for your friends at home or at a restaurant? or would you rather spend it with your family and with your closest friend? What would you do if it’s your birthday and you’re in a tight budget and you couldn’t spare even a single centavo just to buy a hotdog for your friends? Do you pity yourself?…feel pathetic…or what?

I grew up accepting what is offered to me. I celebrated my birthday with a party or without…It depends on the situation…When I’m still a kid,when we’re still in NGEI (Palm Oil Plantation Company) and my father worked as a field manager my father used to hold a party at home with our relatives only. I remembered my mother baking cake and spaghetti for me while my uncles prepared the “letchon”. It feels felt good….It feels good to reminisced those happy moments.

After we left the company, my birthday comes and goes with or without food preparation. I already accepted the fact that we don’t have enough money for that. I don’t feel sorry for myself. I understood the situation. My mom taught us to give thanks to God for another year God has added for my life. Won’t birthday pass-by if you won’t celebrate it? Can’t I celebrate my birthday anytime that I want…when I have enough budget for this?..LOL!

God made special ways to celebrate my birthday though…when I’m still in college my best friend invited me to their house and there my other classmates were waiting for me. They cooked food for me, bought cake for me and sang birthday song for me…It really surprised me and I thank God for that…I experienced being awakened early dawn with people (my classmates) singing birthday song for me. It really brought goose bumps to me! I’m not ready for them to see me without taking a bath..LOL!..and my parents were not around! What food could I offer to them?…I found out that there’s no need to worry because they brought food for everybody to enjoy..Whew…I’m relieved!

The only time that I remember that I can say that I had celebrated my birthday was when I already worked as an Instructor. My bf bought 10 galloons of chocolate..and we had grilled fish, grilled chicken and other foods enough to say that it’s really my birthday for I see foods around..LOL!!!

What really touched me are the generous acts of my friends…God used them to make me happy on this special day! My parent’s love, prayer and support are enough to make me happy on my special day. Even if I’m here in Thailand and already had a stable job, I can’t yet say that I can surely have a big preparation…April is vacation and it means “no work, no pay”…so hilarious…Can I not just be free from this kind of situation where it’s your special day and you had nothing!!!!

Well, it’s not that…Remember, God saw me and my desires and he used people to meet our needs. Last year, when it’s my birthday and I’m three-months preggy with our baby…we also don’t have budget to buy something for my birthday to make it extra special…but God made it special. I was surprised that my friends sang birthday songs for me at 4:00 am! To add on to my surprise is that my hubby knew about this and my friends slept-over in our other room!..ha..ha…I didn’t know about that! They prepared fried chicken and spaghetti…they’re just soooooo sweet! They even have video messages for me! I was soooooooo happy!

This year, I planned to make it extra special but same thing happened..we’re in tight budget and I can’t do a thing to change the fact! but hello…did I forget that I have God who cares for me?..yeah…sorry…

Guess what? my friends will treat us to eat-all-you-can steamboat dinner..isn’t that great! Oh thank you Lord for this surprise! My father greeted me and reminded me of God’s word in psalms 34:1-40 where it tells me not to fret ….

Hope I wouldn’t ever forget that He is in control of everything and that I should be thankful in everything. God is so good at all times!