23

Today, I woke up and told myself that this year, this 23rd year had to be better than the 22nd. It's going to be a big year, but I know that I've started it off right.
I had residents in my room until midnight so they could be among the first to wish me a happy birthday. My little brother called me shortly after my alarm went off at 7:30 this morning and sang "Happy Birthday" to me completely out of tune and off key. It was beautiful and perfect. Before he hung up he said "I love you so much." My mom wrote a note, stuck it to Beau, and took a picture with her phone to send to me. Bev and Kate sang to me in the office (and we may have sung "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" too). I had a ton of people send me their love on Facebook, which surprisingly, means a whole lot to me. And, I finished my day by eating a whole container of Midnight Cookies and Cream ice-cream and talking to Kate -- it was exactly what I needed. I had residents in my room until midnight again tonight: we were talking and laughing and dancing. 
Life is going to get better. I have faith in that. It's supposed to be this hard, especially right now. But if I learned anything at all today, it's how truly amazing my friends are. I am blessed.


This is my new favorite quote and my credo for the following weeks. (But it's not my RA credo, because that's still "all it takes is a little faith and a lot of heart.")

"The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom"  Anaïs Nin