Reflecting On My First 30 Years

Look at this handsome boy!

Standing behind my new van:-)

Mother & Son

Last week, as I slept through the night, I silently & quickly entered a new decade.....my 30's. My seven year old, photography loving daughter snapped some pictures of me enjoying the last sunset of my 20's. When my eyes opened on the first sunrise of my 30's, I checked my reflection in the mirror. Nothing appeared different, yet somehow I felt different. Still the wife to Matthew, mommy to Mara, Gracen, Finn, Scooter & Sidney, daughter of my parents, sister to my siblings....what changed? As I have gotten older, I spend large amounts of time reflecting. For me a perfect night alone is driving somewhere in my car, listening to some good music & giving my mind permission to wander. So, a few nights ago, that's exactly what I did. Born into a strong Christian heritage, I was raised to be strong & have strong morals & beliefs in doing what is right. When I look in a mirror, I see my mom & dad. I see quite a bit of my middle brother. There is a teeny bit of my other siblings. My maternal great grandma looks back at me, also. As I look deeper into that shiny piece of glass, it dawns on me what has changed overnight. I have faced the new sunrise in a brand new decade, a brand new opportunity to do some things different, a brand new opportunity to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. My first thirty years were tremendously exciting, tremendously exhausting at times & full of tremendous blessings. The last decade alone, brought me a wonderful husband & three beautiful Kramer babies. If I felt inclined to do so, I could make a list thirty feet long, detailing the events of my first thirty years, that shaped me into who I see in the mirror today. But here is what truly changed within me overnight; I accepted that I couldn't stop the hands of time. The day before, tears were given permission to flow. With the acceptance & permission to cry came new hope. If my first thirty years were silver plated, my next thirty can be gold! "God has made everything beautiful in His time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3: 11-13" Mara snapped the pictures on this post.