Peter Pan

When Peter met Wendy, he knew he wanted to take her away with him to Neverland. There they could play and be kids forever, not having to consider the worries and responsibilities of adulthood. It often seems that people wish to be Peter Pan, longing for their younger days. The best days of their lives.

Today is my birthday. Many people would be bemoaning their proximity to 30. But, for me, today is the best day of my life. My birthday wish is that each year will be a little better than the last. I do have wonderful, hilarious memories from childhood, high school and college, but I would never wish to go back to those years in exchange for the joy of living this life now.

Every year, it seems, that as I get older love grows. Soon after my 25th birthday, I met Jose. We were both blissful as we learned about each other and fell in love. One night before Christmas he placed his hand over my mouth and told me that I wasn't allowed to say anything after what he was going to say. That's when he told me that he loved me. I thought--This is it! As good as it gets--but life has the capacity to overwhelm us with blessings and love if we're open to it. The next year we got engaged and married. This year we have been living in newlywed joy.

It astounds me that as time goes on Jose just keeps loving me better. He knows just when to be gentle, when to joke, and when to speak powerful words of truth. So, on this day that is, of course, all about me, I say thank you to my sweet husband for being mine, thank you to my parents for teaching me to be my own person, and thank you to my siblings for being my go-to people. I look excitedly forward to another year of learning about marriage, love, and what it means to make the most of the days we're given.