Her Birthday Was In July

Her birthday was in July
I have been marking September days off of my calendar for almost three weeks now.
Her gift was easy to buy ... I think I started gathering goodies for her in December when I found the picture frame for friends ...

then I found a candle ...

and a bluebird ... we love birds, she and I ...

I knew that she would love these things.

I see things throughout the year that I know she will love.

I want to buy them all for her ... I buy some and save them until she has a birthday.

I thought the day of her birthday would be the right time to wrap them in beautiful paper
 and garnish with a beautiful bow and find the perfect card for her ...

but July came and went and I did not share the gifts.

August, the month of swelter came and went.

The gift remained unwrapped, unprepared for giving.

Today I put all of the treasure that I knew she would love in a special package, picked out one of the many beautiful cards that I could have given her and put the present in my car. I dropped by her house without calling first ... I can do this with her.

I peeked over her backyard fence, her smile lit up the world when she saw me at the gate.

"Hi, beautiful!" she said.

"You are the first one that has called me that today," I said. I could safely say that to her without her thinking I'm arrogant or puffed up, she knows me, knows that I am teasing. She knows when I look in the mirror what I really think about myself. My hair is blowing in the wind, going at least 97 different directions and my make up looked as if it had never left the bottle. It has been a day ... she laughs at my  response.

I hand her the gift, she sets it on the counter, doesn't even peek inside and beckons me to sit and visit, catch up a little, so I do. She speaks wisdom over me, encouragement, life words with deep meaning and I catch them and think about them and decide to take them home with me. We share heart to heart kind of talk. Time, well spent time.

"Can I open my gift?" she is excited.

"Please, I want to see what you think," I do! I really do!

She pulls out the candle first. "I love it!!!! These are my very favorite!!!" She takes off the lid and inhales deeply. "Ohhhhhhh" she says. You did not have to get me anything else! This would have been enough!"

Then she pulls out the bird. "I love it, Cheri! I love it! I will keep it even when we have to get rid of almost everything  we own someday ... I will keep this forever."

Then the frame, it has a verse about friendship around its edges. She will put a picture of her and I in that beautiful frame.

Her birthday was in July but I gave her the presents today and that turned out to be a gift for both of us.



"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9