Jen's Birthday

Today is Jen's birthday.  Part of the adjustment to married life was learning to celebrate birthdays together.  It is not that my family growing up did not celebrate, we just did not do it the same way as Jen's family.  Part of it may also just be the different between a guys perspective and that of a woman ... but either way birthdays and celebrations have been the source of tension in our marriage in the past.

Sadly, for Jen, today is a pretty lame birthday celebration.  She is off to the doctor with her mom to get blood drawn to compare against recent tests that came back for Zach.  We did sing to her "Happy Birthday" this morning while she was just waking up - plus one for me.

It is interesting that we all have different experiences of the same things, such as celebrating birthdays.  Our past experiences impact our expectations and views.  Sometimes that can cause tension in relationships, sometimes it can make us laugh, and sometimes we can both experience the same things and walk away with very different opinions.

At church, we are in the midst of a series called "The Story of God."  We have been moving through different stories in the Old Testament thus far and often I have observed that in the same story - people have very different observations because of who they are (past experiences, expectations, different interests).  I have enjoyed hearing those different perspectives because they make me re-think my norm.  Just like Jen has impacted my view on birthdays,  I always walk away with a greater appreciation for God and the body as we interact together on His Story.

Happy Birthday Jen.