Tomorrow is the first day October. Yikes. On a couple of levels.

Yikes #1: Having a new baby, I find that this Summer passed with me in my house almost without exception. There was very little swimming, no camping, and considerably less “fun.” (More joy, however.) I feel like I missed out on an entire season.

Yikes #2: Perhaps this is the larger of the yikeses. In October, I will be turning 27. This revelation hit me the other day. I am considerably closer to 30 than 20, and I think this is the first birthday that I don’t want to be another year older. I know 27 isn’t “old” by any stretch, but 26 just felt so good. It was a wonderful year. It was a year of re-birth for me. A year of Jubilee. I learned how to be a mother, better learned how to be a wife, learned to follow my dreams, and learned not to shy away when they let me catch them. The beauty I’ve experienced in this past year has been beyond my ability to contain it. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve thought, …surely life doesn’t get any better than this. And then, as if to show off, God sets a new joy before me. It has been a mountaintop time in my life. That’s for sure.Y

I have experienced a good deal of pain in my past, but I truly believe that pain digs the well of my heart deeper so I can contain more joy later. This year makes me so thankful for the darker moments of my life. No mountaintop can exist without a valley.

No, the thought of moving into the next year of my life doesn’t appeal to me, but I suppose it’s for a good reason.

I can only hope for many more birthdays that leave me asking if life can get any better.