Happy Birthday to all born today!

"Truths for Living: The more generous we are, the more joyous we become. The more cooperative we are, the more valuable we become. The more enthusiastic we are, the more productive we become. The more serving we are, the more prosperous we become. The more outgoing we are, the more helpful we become. The more curious we are, the more creative we become. The more patient we are, the more understanding we become. The more persistent we are, the more successful we become." ~ William Arthur Ward, U.S. college administrator, 1921-1994

And the more determined we are to live up to our full potential, the closer to doing so we become.
~Kate Nowak
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Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of YOU to the world. ~Author Unknown



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35 years… wow.

Today I celebrate the gift of me. I have lived a long life thus far in my 35 years. I’ve evolved just as everyone has. I’ve had many ups and many downs. But in the end today I can say with a moderate amount of satisfaction, I did the best I could with what I had and you know what? It was good.

My life started not as prettily as I would have hoped. I was in a broken home loved only by my brother who was *just* two years older than me. He cared for me. He spent many nights talking me to sleep because I was so afraid of the dark for the things that would come from the dark… Then after a bond was forged so deeply between us, we were separated by adoption.

My adoption was the best thing that ever happened to me. I know now that if I had stayed with my biological mother, I would be so far from the person I am today. I know this because even in the short 4 years I was with my biological mother my life was hell. If you can think of it, it probably happened. And the time spent between being put up for adoption and the time actually being adopted was just as bad… There, I suffered even more unspeakable wrongs.

By the time my Mother (my TRUE mother, the one who loves me still to this day) adopted me, she had a small precocious child on her hands who just knew *all* the answers and knew a bit more about life than a child should have at the tender age of 4. My mother loved me then, and she loves me now. She’s loved me through some very rough times in my life. She’s loved me when perhaps she shouldn’t because I was hurting so bad I was a terror to be around… but she knew I had to go through it. Her love, her guidance, and the soft depositing of spirit into my life that she gave me helped form the person that many of you know today as *Muse*.

I had always in life walked a path of darkness. But the amazing thing even as I walked in the dark was that I carried a torch to keep the light with me. I gave it to anyone who wanted it even DESPITE my own dark path. I’ve always been that way. After a particularly dark time in my life (16-17 years of age or so), I finally came out of the dark, and when I came out of the dark it was then that I really extended my wings and flew.

I still fly… I still ride the wind sometimes high above the clouds, sometimes dangerously low to the ground, but I still fly. I’ve lived a life of shame, suffered misery, trauma, loss, and pain… but I’ve also been loved deeply, grown, learned, and developed into something that I never knew I could be.

Today I celebrate my life; all 35 years of it now. I celebrate the bad times for being the stepping stones to a path of growth, making me something better than I ever thought I could be. I celebrate the good times with wild laughter and mad dancing about because those SHOULD be celebrated fully! I celebrate the unique things that make me “me”; those pesky traits like neurotic organization, spazzing out when I get lost, crying because someone I barely knew was hurt, and being so passionate that a simple sigh can move me. I embrace my future, yes even with this cancer, and hope that however long life gives me, be it a year or 10 or 50, I continue to remember, that I have it in me to give back to others. And I embrace my friends, those in the “real world” and those online as well as those in the “blogosphere”. Without all of you I would not be able to stand as tall as I do today.

Thank you for all the calls today (already I’ve had a few ;) ) and for the candles, and the gifts. The best gift of all I already have, and that is the gift of me… and the gift of you all.

It has been a great birthday so far, thank you!

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WELL WISHES
Today I give the gift of my birthday to you all in the form of celebration. Go treat yourself, its ok I said you could ;) Share in my birthday by doing something, anything special for YOU. Make it a day when you truly feel the shared celebration of the uniqueness of someone’s life and add it to your own celebration of uniqueness. I don’t care what it is you do for you, but IMMERSE yourself in joy today. You deserve it!

You are a blessing to me everyday, and today I feel your spirits burning bright in my heart.
XO
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AND REMEMBER
From an unknown author on Heart Quotes (more like a blessing, but completely appropriate to remember):

May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world. May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved.