The Gift, Part II

This time I'm talking about gifts....birthday gifts!

On Thursday evening I celebrated my birthday a few days early with 6 girl friends. We ate at California Pizza Kitchen (my fave) and then we saw an Agatha Christie play at a local theatre. It is always such a wonderful gift to be surrounded by friends. That was gift enough. To top it off, I received so many thoughtful gifts--Sudoku (so I could complete one of my '101 Things'), an updated grill pan (watch out Rachael Ray), some Mojito mix and a Mamma Mia CD to name a few. And I am so thankful for the gift of time with my friends and the gifts they brought. Every gift is special but sometimes, just sometimes, there is one that touches you in such a profound way. When I turned 30, my parents burned me 3 CDs of music--Jeny the 1st 10 years, Jeny the 2nd 10 years and Jeny the later years. It was filled with songs from my childhood, songs that I loved now and then. This year, I received another gift that took my breath away.

One of my friends gave me a journal and the first three pages were a list of things she admired about me. What a gift! Of course, I started crying like the Drew-Barrymore-Movie-Lovin'-Super-Sap that I am. If you are ever looking for a gift to give someone, this is it. To hear that someone out there (besides my parents and husband who are required by law to think/say this) thinks I am smart, and funny, and have gifts to give to others that aren't necessarily tangible is an incredible feeling. To see it written is incredible.

Tonight I celebrate a friend's 30th birthday (her is officially the 8th) on my birthday. Then my parents arrive and we celebrate some more (since it's my mom's birthday on my birthday...or the other way around)