Happy Birthday Zachary & Choosing Joy

Birthdays are quite different as the parent of a special kiddo.  Zachary turned 3 on Sunday without the rambunctious, activity filled, fun themed party.  There wasn't a favorite cartoon character cake, no piles of wrapped presents and no little friends to run and play games with.  In his mind and body which is more like a 6-10 month old it was just a normal day.

I’m learning a lot of this 4^th parenting journey we are on is about choosing my own attitude and what I will dwell on.  I could have chosen on Sunday to have thought about all of the other 3 year olds I know having fun birthdays this year.  I could have taken time to remember all the impressive parties I did with my other kids when they had their 3^rd birthdays and feel sorry for myself and Zachary.  Don’t think I have it all together.  Those ugly thoughts tried to sneak up on me throughout the day.  Often!  But I’m learning and re-learning that so much of this journey is about CHOOSING JOY.  It's about my choosing to see GOD and the good instead of dwelling on what I cannot have. 

Zachary might not "get it", but we celebrated him anyway.  It just looked a little different!  We celebrated another year of life for our boy.  We celebrated God’s hand in his life.  We celebrated the crawling, the climbing, the pulling to stand that came in the past year.  We celebrated the way he can communicate a couple of signs and sounds.  We celebrated his beautiful tiny life!

And a trip to the zoo with a few close friends was just the perfect quiet way to celebrate!

Come visit me here tomorrow and I tell you what we gave Zachary for his birthday.  We have think a little differently when giving gifts to him as he doesn't "play" like a regular 3 year old.  But I think we nailed it this year!