Happy Birthday.... Happy Happy Birthday!

My children love parties!  Parties mean friends and fun!  They especially love Birthday parties.  What kid or adult doesn't for that matter ???

As the years passed and my children became older (3 was the magic year I think:) I realized that  1. They wanted to invite ALL of the people they knew.  I loved this about my children because I believe that no child should be left out.  It is not a nice feeling to be in kindergarten and not get invited to birthday parties that your other classmates were being invited to.  and   2.  That if they invited ALL of the people they knew they received far to many gifts and did not appreciate the gift nor play with the gift in a way that showed gratitude.

So....together my children and I figured out a way to make their Birthdays be what they were intended to be.....a celebration of them.  My children are a gift to me and my husband.  A beautiful gift created to do great things.  A gift given with a plan and a purpose.  With this in mind we set out to figure out how to celebrate who they are and the gift that they represented.  You see we are all gifts and deserve to be celebrated. 

In order to celebrate we decided to choose a charity to represent  for each birthday.  We research and find what the charity of choice needs.  We ask that the children bring something from the list of needed items.  Because children do like gifts we ask that if the guests would like they bring a dollar or two for the Birthday child.

2010 Charity Birthday Collection for the Dream Center

2008 Charity Birthday Collection for the Women's Shelter

This allows my children to live beyond themselves and share the gift of giving.  This celebrates their ability to make a difference in their world.  It allows them to celebrate the blessings they receive by giving in love to others.  The gifts allow someone to experience hope.  It  allows my children to experience the joy that comes from being with  friends because they ALL got to be together and have fun!!!!

Today the Birthday party we are participating in is a celebration of a Gift.  A birth 2010 years ago.  It is a celebrations of the  Greatest Gift that can be given.  A Gift that will fill your heart with joy.  A Gift that will comfort you when you are lonely.  A Gift that will celebrate you because this Gift gives you life.  A Gift that will give you hope.  A Gift that gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

A Gift given to walk with us.  Emmanuel-God WITH us. 

Today 2010 years ago a child was born in Bethlehem.  God in the flesh.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14 

May you enjoy the Birthday celebration as you His friend, His guest of honor come to celebrate and be celebrated WITH Him on this day.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."  Luke 1:30-33

behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "GOD with us."  Matthew 1:20-23.