ONE DAY CHALLENGE

I wrote this for myself and Jesus told me to share it with you J

HINT: When you fail – start over at one – again & again & again

…Let me know how it goes! J J

WHAT NOW?

For those of you wondering: WHAT NOW?

For the teens seniors about to graduate high school next spring, for the college students trying to navigate their majors, for the 20 somethings asking the question - when and how do I start??, for the Mom's who aren't sure of their daily impact, for the empty nesters asking a similar question of the 20 somethings - WHAT NOW?

Its common.  Purpose - is a life driver.  So it's okay to ask, depending on what season of life you are in, every year, every 10 years, or more.  For those of you wondering, I'm in the journey with you.

Here's just a little encouragement for you.  I just attended a women's retreat with my church and was so inspired by the speakers (2 ladies living out their calling!), and the fellowship of WOMEN!  There was good conversation, a few tears, and lots of laughter - the perfect recipe for inspiration.

So, I've come back with a little perspective.

A Quick summary of my post high years

•  4 Years of Ministry & Training 
  After Graduating I went the Teen Mania Ministries to do a leadership Internship and then became a staff member, directing and counseling young women. 

• 1 Year in India 
  After leaving Teen Mania I got prepared to spend an entire year in the beloved country of India.  I observed, I learned, I fell in love! (Spent time with and Anti-Trafficking Org & the Poorest of the Poor at Mother Teresa's Institution). 

• 1 Year & Going at Home
  After being away for 5 years from my family and a community of people very near and dear to my heart, my main goal was to spend time here.  I also have been learning everything I can about homemaking, and have had the wonderful opportunity to develop my business skills while working at my Aunt's Fabric Store.   

All of the above were goals of mine - Although I only planned to be at Teen Mania for one year and then go to India directly after that and a slew of other things happened that I could have never EVER planned myself in the past 6 years - I feel absolutely honored and privileged and amazed at GOD and how BIG his plans are for my life.

Still, I find myself here - wondering.  Wondering again - Am I where I'm supposed to be?  Scared - Will I let my life go to waste?  Isn't that funny?  If you look at the list above you would think "She has the least reason to be worried," but I guarantee that you don't either.  That is just our little human heart - You can relate can't you?

Take a Moment - Think over the ways that God has orchestrated your life in the past 5-10 years or longer and see how many blessings you have to count. I encourage you to write them down and share them with a friend.  If you feel like you don't have many (and before you answer - Children are a blessing, family is a blessing, peace and joy are a blessing, knowing Christ is a blessing, and trials are also a blessing )- Ask yourself if you have been open to God's leading.

Have you:

1. Asked
2. Listened (Don't over-complicate this, God won't make it hard to hear, the hard part is the next step).
3. Obeyed
4. WAITED - this can be inserted before or after anyone of these steps ;))

80% of people miss the first step - ASKING

Jesus has a plan for your life - I promise!  God also has a mind BIGGER than you can imagine.  So try, try to out-dream him - You won't. 

I asked both ladies this weekend about their dreams and it was very obvious that God used a gift that he had given them and is using it for HIS glory.  For both of them, that dream was started in their (30's or later), and they agreed it was in God's perfect timing.  I guarantee that the time spent before that was not a waste though - they were in training.  

I walked away trusting that I am in this step: WAIT.  Just wait, and remember - This season is chalked full of purposeful things.  Trust that. 

Psalms 37:7

Things that everyone of us can do during the waiting season are: 

1. LOVE - Take the opportunity and don't miss it to love the people around you, and love them well, really well.
2. SERVE - Serve, serve, serve.  Yes - It is in fact, one of the most fulfilling things you can ever dedicate your time to. (Remember - 'Wait'resses serve)
3. KNOW GOD - This is our ultimate purpose in life - higher than any other.  Know Jesus - as a friend, a Father, and Lord - know Him deeper, and better, and more - continuously. 

Any life fulfilling these three things is purposeful - I guarantee it - because it is in accordance with God's heart.

This is a great time of year to write down your goals for the next year.  Pray first, write them down and share them with a friend.  If you're serious about starting your dream I encourage you to meet with a friend or small group periodically to update and encourage each other on the progress of these goals.  Create a plan now.

I am challenged in this waiting season (and whatever season you are in) to live to the fullest - FULL of joy - Overflowing with love - Full of JESUS!

If you feel like you need a word on your current purpose in life - ask a friend!  Or please feel free to write me (shyla.troyer@gmail.com or on Facebook) - I would love to pray for you and see what God says.

Thank-you to all the ladies who refreshed my heart this weekend!

Letters

Wanna know something that I've been doing this past fall?  Writing letters to a dear friend of mine - as a pen pal.  I write her once or twice a week and she writes back to me! 


That's amazing, huh?  Well, I guess not everyone is the pen pal type of person, but I always was.  I remember having pen pals from different countries in elementary school, and to this day since being away from home in Texas and India I have stayed in touch with close friends through letters.  I write letters at least once a month.  My grandpa Troyer does the same thing, he is an avid letter writer, an Amish man with friends all over the states, and does such a good job keeping up with them!  (In fact he says he won over my Grandmother who was in another state by his letter writing! ;). 





Some people don't like to write and the postal service definitely doesn't compete with our fast paced lives these days, however there is something special about it.


A lot of times I write to others just to let them know that I'm thinking about them, in a way that the meaningful touch is kept in tact where in email and Facebook and even text it has the opportunity to be lost.  I write Melissa to pour out my heart.  I decided that I needed a pen pal this fall while I was in Kolkata, India because it would be hard spiritually and I wouldn't have any acquaintances there.  Melissa is a dear friend and she speaks the same language spiritually, I asked her if she would commit to writing to me - I needed her!  I wrote her the day that I arrived in Kolkata and told her about all the smells and faces that colored the city, I wrote to her every time that I needed a friend to talk to, every time I needed to share my heart, every time my heart was overloaded. 


There wasn't an immediate response (in fact it took 2 wks for my first letter to get to her and 2 wks for me to get her response).  However my heart was not waiting in limbo at the response.  I knew that Meliss would understand and was in constant prayer for me.  Just writing it down and sending it to her did so much for me.


We've continued to write back and forth since I've come home to the States.  What a lovely friend.  Sometimes we don't need to busy our lives with constant action, immediate response, gratification, or emotional reactions.  Indeed quick access can actually make our lives more stressful.  We do have emotions though and need a way to understand and embrace them! 


Perhaps writing letters is a good idea for you?  Maybe you need to just go see that friend in person once every two weeks and pour your heart out - instead of just texting or FB!  See her!  Write her!  But do it well, and then your dear hear will rest!
    

Life in Simple

Darlings,

Dear Women - from my heart to yours…. A few words on Simplicity

I don't know about you but I am always in a hurry, even when I'm not in a hurry I try to do things as fast as possible.  Lately the most common thing I tell myself is…. "Shyla, just use both hands!"

Life can be so much simpler than we make it, and our minds and hearts a little ( a lot) more at ease in result.  Let's take a look at ways that we can enjoy our lives a little more:

ONE

Have a proper wake up.  Get up in enough time to wake up and ease into the day before you run into the shower, throw on a pair of matching clothes, and rush off to a busy day.  At least give yourself time to sit down with a cup of coffee and read a verse, but if you can: wake up, have breakfast with that cup of coffee, have devotions, and take time to pick our your outfit with matching shoes and jewelry ;). I learned this from a mentor of mine (Lauren :).  You'll be amazed at how much better you'll  be able to handle your entire day.  

TWO

Give yourself time.  We often underestimate the time it takes to do something.  Whether it's baking bread or putting on our makeup.  Start overestimating and giving yourself leeway in between.  You'll find yourself showing up on time to things and feeling less stressed and irritable.  If you hate wasted time, always keep a book with you to read. Give yourself two days to bake Christmas Cookies instead of one;  go Christmas shopping one day and grocery shopping on a different day; paint your nails when you have a good 2 hours to sit there and relax.  Otherwise you'll end up angry.  Everyday.

THREE

Don't multitask all the time. This is one of my faults, it's like a game I play with myself, how many things can I juggle at one time?  Put the thumbprint in the cookies once they're halfway baked, and respond to the laundry as soon each load is done, and don't make too many dishes, and call the electric company before noon, and jog around the house 5 times remembering what I need to do. My brain gets all twisted and I end up needing a nap by 2pm.  Yes, us women are pretty good at multi-tasking but, sometimes we need to protect our sanity. Just do one thing at a time, and don't let your mind go anywhere else.  Enjoy putting thumbprints in those cookies without racing on a time clock, then go to the next thing.  Make a list for yourself in the morning and once you've completed something check it off and go to the next.  Don't keep lists in your head. 

FOUR

Don't do it.  When you simply find that you won't have enough time to do everything without stressing yourself out, don't do it.  Don't make a batch of cookies for your neighbor; it was a nice gesture but maybe you can do it next week.  Don't do the laundry today, wash the pair of jeans that Johnny needs and leave the rest for tomorrow.  Don't make a full coarse meal every night, by pop-it-in -the-oven answers  to meals for those times you need it - or order pizza!  Just don't do it.  Sit down for 5 minutes instead.

FIVE

Know your priorities.  This will help you decide what not to do.  What are the must do's for you everyday? Is it that your kitchen is clean every morning?  Make sure you finish your dishes the day before while you still have energy, don't leave them as the last thing you do before bed, you'll be more likely to leave them for the morning and then your next day you will feel stressed at the start.  Priorities let you know what comes first in your life, and second, and third, etc.  Make a list: (1. God, 2. Famliy, 3. Job, 4. Church….).  When one task fights for the other you'll know which one to choose.  There will be sometimes that one just trumps the other though - maybe you have put off visiting your neighbor so long that you decide that today you won't clean the house, you'll go visit her.

*There are great ways to increase productivity and create systems in your life so that everything gets done, these rules are for when your smooth running system gets a bump in the belt. If you find yourself having to drop too many things you may need to check out the *re-prioritizing or *self-discipline charts. ;)

How Do You Like Your Life?

Life in Leopard Speed

Life in Flashing Red

Life in Glitter and Glue Everywhere

I like my Life in SIMPLE

;)

*P.s. Check out my favorite Magazine: REAL SIMPLE  realsimple.com

(They do things like create a meal menu for you for a whole month with perforated tear out grocery lists for each week in accordance - yeah that's awesome!  And you can look at the mag without being stressed out by a ton of ads).

Mr. Rogers and Me

For my dearest Blog Friends - Thought you should see this video.

which did not inspire my blog :)....

I feel at home when...

I'm in Holmes County, Ohio

I'm with Nathan, Janet, or Travis

when I'm with any one member of my family I don't miss anything

Nothing is missing- I don't get tired of them

 I'm with a Dear Friend and we share our hearts with Each Other

In my Kitchen

I'm sharing My life Story - God's Beautiful Work in my Life - And the person Values It

When I'm Offering My Ear to A Woman

counseling a woman, bringing healing, showing her Christ's love; I feel a world at home there

I Pray in the Spirit

I'm Making a cup of Tea or coffee for someone

I'm with a Mennonite

I'm walking Arm in Arm with with someone 

I'm in any beautiful, Quiet Place with a Journal and my own Thoughts

When I'm Laughing

without restraint

I walk down the Indian Street

I smell a Barn

I take a Long Run

I speak about Knowing God

Standing in from a Group of People sharing a Word/ Teaching from the Lord

I'm with Jesus

Dear Readers,

Tomorrow I will say goodbye to Kolkata.  I am going home for the next two months to spend the holidays at home with my family, with potential to return to Kolkata once again.

I had such an enriching time serving with Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's Order), and will greatly miss the 12 little brown faces and precious souls of the children in my class at the orphanage.

The lovely people at BMS, where I stay.  There's a community of young people who have travelled from Kolkata from all over the world to also serve with MOC.  I am thankful for this community.

Sweet Klara from Italy was like a sister to me at BMS

And the church that I very much felt welcomed into.  I joined the worship team and became good friends with the young people on the team, including 3 foreign girls volunteering at the church and locally.

This woman; my Indian friend, was like a sister to me.  An answered prayer.

Kolkata - an overwhelmingly chaotic, filthy, and rustic city has grown on me and overpowered me with it's beauty, kindness, and warmth.  Kolkata; a land of contradictions -yet the beauty shines through; The City of Joy.  

I will spend 4 days in Varanasi with Carl and Joann Benderoth (a family from my hometown serving in India for the past years).   Then I will tour in Dehli, the capital, for a few day's before I go home.


Ohio, See you on the 13th!

Love,

Shyla

Things I Don't Do...

Ask my local friends here in India - I'll do just about anything in India to fit in- Eat Indian food and enjoy it, wear the beautiful clothes like I was made for it, practice my Hindi with any person that gets to sit beside me on the bus - and LOVE IT!

However there are a few things that I DONT Do.

We all have our preferences - yeah?  Some people don' t like to paint their own nails - they just get them done.  Chosen Luxuries.  Well, these are the things I choose not to do in India.

p.s. These things can be done well by anyone who takes time to do them. ;)

Things I Don't Do: 

1. Buy Meat in the Market  

( I just can't do it)

2. Wash My Clothes in a Bucket 

(I can never get the soap all out. Plus- because everyone needs a job in India - service is so accessible here.  So I kindly give my laundry to the laundry man that comes to my door every morning. :)  Thank-you laundry man.)

3. Use the bucket of water in the restroom

(If you know what I mean)

:)

The Damp Arrival Back to India

The plane ride was lovely, 

[2 hr flight to Chicago]…..(left my camera battery and charger in the CAK airport...Oh Shyla!)

[5 hr Layover in Chicago] - Had a discrepancy about which flight I was on from Chicago to Frankfurt - had to call my Travel Agent - got it worked out 10min before boarding - just enough time to fit in one last Starbucks Vanilla Latte that I enjoyed on the plane.

[8 hr flight to Frankfurt, Germany]… sat by a lovely old lady.

[5 hr layover in Frankfurt] - slept as always in Frankfurt - somehow this layover always ends up in the middle of the night my time and I'm exhausted.  I've mastered the art of sleeping sprawled out on the seats and protecting my luggage at the same time.

[8 hr flight to Banglalore] - still fine.  Read most of the time - lovely lovely many from Argentina - shared Christ with Him.  Arrived to Bangalore with a friend waiting for me - was such a delight.

Slept at CSI - A guest house I know in Bangalore. 

I rested awhile and met my friend, Sathish in the city, spent the day there - lovely time.  I just sat on a second floor coffee shop and took in India again - the beautiful people, busy streets, and my heart melted again for the country.

We rode his bike (motorcycle) to the bus station WITH all my luggage.  Haha.. Yes, just imagine me, him, a 50 pound luggage, and a 40 pound luggage - all on one bike!  We did it - and I felt like a true Indian. :)

  

[Boarded the Bus for Ooty] - Night train should be 5 hrs, I had to pee so bad and thought I would hold but ended up requesting the driver to 'Stop for toilet, please.'  Then got more comfortable but my legs started aching like nothing else, and it was like the weight of exhaustion from the past 30 hours of sitting caught up to me.  When we stopped in the jungle and I discovered that we had not made the 2 bus quota to get through and had to wait 2 hours…. I got really grumpy.  I was tired.

Decided to get off the bus to stretch even though I didn't know anyone - but of course I wasn't lonely for long.  Sweet, sweet, curious Indians came and talked to me - and with one came a crowd, all interested in the foreign girl.  Then the girl who sat beside me came and said that if I am lonely I can come and be with her group.  A group of 5 young adults getting their PHD in Engineering Science…haha.  They were so kind - and we laughed and carried on during the two hours, thank you Lord. 

Finally reaching Ooty - after a total of [9 hours] later!!!  Got to Farley (where I stay) around 9:30am- very very tired and a bit grumpy - but so glad to be there. 

The W.eather is really damp and wet here - beautifully green - but cold. :)

Pray for me as I spend the next two weeks here with the friends I have made here over the past 6 months and prepare to go to Calcutta.

*Total Travel Time: 41 hrs

The Promise of Joy

Sometimes....

Sometimes the joy from our lives leaves.

      The sunshine keeps shining, and the summer continues.... kids splash in the water, laughter   
      continues but not yours.

      Days continue - almost on without you.  And the lack of joy almost paints everything grey - as if   
      nothing is important anymore without the sometime you lost.

      Have you felt this way before?  Have you lost something great or small?  If you have, you know 
      how I feel.

But then sometimes that joy returns.

       You keep walking, keep moving through the grey - sunshine nagging days. One step at a time,
       one single day at a time, believing, hoping, trusting that things will get better.

       Things we lose never can be replaced but there is a deep something in Life that can never be  
       taken.  And that something is the Giver of Joy.


It is a beautiful thing when in the stepping - trusting - that joy returns.

Here, in the midst of pain, we find a wholesome joy - because - we realize that we can have it in the midst of our reality - it never left us - we just forgot that it is not conditional.


Thank-you Jesus for Joy.

Real Joy. 


When you settle into it in the reality of life it is a beautiful gift- because it holds the promise that it can never be taken away.

Thank-you Jesus for Joy and Thank-you Jesus that I can hope for Bigger things too!  I'm glad that joy protects me and supports me in my hoping.

Harvest Time

A few thoughts and beliefs....

It's Harvest Time

Get READY

Just wait - the fruit you have been waiting for WILL produce.......that's a promise *

_________________________________________________________________________________

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does he prospers." - Psalm 1 

"But I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me." 2 Timothy 1: 12

"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.  For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities." - Isaiah 54: 2-3

_________________________________________________________________________________

It's Time to 'JUST DO IT'

 There is a time to learn grace and understand that God does not condemn us when we mess up and return to Him and then there is a time to understand and act. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.  you need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.  But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."  Hebrews 5: 12-14

_________________________________________________________________________________

Things we need to DO:

(scripture shows that his promises are conditional!  You will reap harvest if  you... meditate on his word day and night...)

1. Read the WORD daily

2. PRAY (Intercede)

3. Have FAITH

4.  Flee EVIL

5.  Pursue RIGHTEOUSNESS

I pray that we can 'buck up' and get ourselves ready for the harvest - because the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  There is grace for us to be mature! Let's not just expect for these things to happen for us - we must act!  Expect that when we act according to scripture there will be grace - and it will be GREAT!  Just as promised.

The Warmth of A Texas Night

There's something about the warmth of a TX night.  It is enchanting to my heart; taking me back to a thousand years ago and a thousand memories under this BIG southern sky.

I walked out into the night late this evening, as I have done almost every night since my return to Texas and have been happily reminded of all of the late nights I've spent under the Texan sky.

Late nights spent...

Laying on our backs in the horseshoe of the dorms watching the stars.  It would start with 2 or 3 and end up with a whole crowd of people lined on the sidewalk on their backs watching the stars.  Interns passing by on their way back to their rooms.  It was like we were invisible in the dark night.  Invisible of time - the busy busy time packed days of TM - we escaped in the night.  We lived all night long like there was no limit, because the day had so many appointments.  So we lived at night and we didn't sleep.

Tucking our little interns into bed when we were Core Advisors and running out into the night, because it was the only time we could be 'un-leaders.'  Running into the night and releasing as much kid as possible.  Climbing on top of all kinds of things on campus, jumping into lakes with all of our clothes on, and throwing dance parties in any random place.  The CA's had the most fun of their lives because they needed to!  And they lived all night too... later than the interns because they need it that much more.

Walking out of the SAC after long days of training missionaries getting ready to storm the mission field.  Exhausted from teaching drama all day in the blazing sun, we worked until midnight until the drama was 'just right' and then met with our project directors afterwards, but walking down those sidewalks for the bazillionth time feeling the most refreshing feeling in the world of getting to influence young souls on fire for God.

Stepping out of the Auditorium with 300 of our fellow interns in silence after a fiery, spirit-filled message from Blaise on the 3rd night of the fasting retreat.... looking up at the starry sky and thinking about encountering God.  Thinking about the revelations we just got of Him and how much more we want to DIVE in and know more about this Man.  Some of us would find places in the darkness to ponder on our revelations - one by the prayer tree, another on the bench by the front pond, another in the Gazebo, another walking around the loop for hours and hours into the night.


These are the scents and smells and feelings that the warmth of a Texas Night awakens in me.

It is a world of memory and recollections of the 4 years spent at Teen Mania and the journey it took me on to adulthood.

I'm so glad to be here.

Things I've Missed

Being Home

My first stop in the States was straight away to Texas - the Lonestar state.  Of long back roads, down-home cookin, the long drawl, steer, and cowboy hats.  And one more thing: Teen Mania. 

Texas to me is:  the place i became an adult. the home of some of my best and closest friends. an amazing ministry that taught me all about ministry, leadership, people, and living for Christ.

Coming home has been a blessing so far.  I have been taken in warmly by close friends and spending time with them - just joining them in whatever they're doing; which is always something exciting at TM. :)  

Thanks Beth, Corrie, Holly, and Cat. 

I talk about India everyday - telling people of it's beauty and the place it holds in my heart.  

There are a few things that I've realized I miss about home :)

1. Taking a Shower Everyday (Emphasis on 'shower' and 'everyday')

2. Rinsing My Toothbrush with the Water Out of the Tap

3. Drinking Ice Cold Water (and getting it from the tap)

4. Coffee with (Creamer)

5. Starbucks :)

6. Big Fat Hamburgers (on the grill)

7. Driving

8. Calling My Mom on My Cell Phone (not on skype)

I'll spend time in Austin, TX with close family friends of mine: The Scribers

And then head home to Ohio to see my FAMILY! and Church

Tears for India……

Such a beautiful country, such a beautiful people.  I love you India, I have tears for you as I leave…. All the beauty  you have imparted to me, humbly, I see that my heart has been strengthened and softened by your love.  I am here to be yours; I know I'm not done being influenced and changed by you. So,

See you soon again…..

I'm visiting home for 2 months, will be back soon.

The Colors. The Colors. The Colors. The Colors

The Culture.  The Culture. The Culture. The Culture

The People. The People. The People. The People

"It's a good thing: tears. It does not tag the coming as better or the past as less, it allows the now; and somehow combines all three."

The COLORS

My Birthday Celebration

Friends, I must share with you how blessed I was on the day of my birthday celebration.  You must know how I love to celebrate - and I don't miss my own birthday as an opportunity to host and cook and decorate and gather a crowd of people! :)

On this day I wanted to share the joy of celebrating with the people that have meant a lot to me here in India and I was in turn overwhelmed and touched by their love and friendship.

We had a picnic at Farley where I stay.

To you whom I could not share my day with this year - I wish you could have been here.  Love you!

Here are some photos :

It was a FUN day! :)

I chose Pink, Orange, and Yellow :)
The beautiful flowers are from the Farley garden.

Menu:  I baked the Chicken (Brenda's Christmas Chicken)
Annette made the rolls (Buttermilk)
Valsa brought the vegetable (Indian Eggplant)
Mala brought the Potato Salad

The People

FF Staff: Greg, Rod, Susai, Shymala, (Shyamala's Sister) 

Laura (FF Volunteer), Jessie, Valsa (Bible Study Friends)

Elizabeth, Jaya (FF Staff), Tom (Bible Study), Mala, Susai's Kids: Nelson & Martin 

Sheida (friend from community), Karen, Jeff, Abi (Pastor and family from church), Diana (FF)

The Cake

And introducing...... THE CAKE!
This is the Maltby Cake
(Yes I baked this in India ;)
Served with Mixed Fruit (mango, pineapple, and banana)

Hannah (volunteer) lighting my special flower candle!! ;) -
As it lights it blossoms and sings Happy Birthday!!  This is an Indian tradition.

Singing:  "We're SOOOO glad God made you....Happy Birthday to you!"

Happy Birthday!

And the Birthday girl cuts the cake!

...And Greg helps serve - our usual tradition in the FF. :)

Beautiful!

Lovely People.

The Gifts

My guests totally surprised me by bringing gifts for me, and I really was blessed by the way this made me feel loved and at home!  Thank-you everyone!

Hannah and I

My Iranian Friend -Love her!  Sheida

The Day of my Birthday with my English Class

I must share with you my English Class:  These are the lovely women whom I have had the opportunity to teach English to.  We had class on my birthday and they came dressed in their best Sari's of bright color, brought their children, and cooked homemade sweets!  This sincerely was the highlight of my day. I felt truly blessed on my birthday!