This past Saturday we celebrated my 30th birthday. It was a very busy, exhausting day, much like any other Saturday. Having a birthday in September has resulted in a lot of birthdays in the past where I was super busy, just because of the time of year that it is.

When we were beginning to wind down our day, I began thinking about the past 10 years of my life. Going through my twenties was some of the best years of my life, and some of my worst. They were the years when I started a successful home business, got married, had two of my children, and became pregnant with our third baby. Such wonderful happy times! There were many simple days of camping with my parents, taking care of animals on their 5 acre farm, being involved in church activities, the year and a half of being a farmers market manager to the best group of vendors, talks with my dad in the garage, helping farmers fill their mows with hay bales, chopping wood for the winter with my family, milking many cows, playing trumpet in a community band, going to horse shows for my cowboy brothers, growing things in our garden, training horses, making tasty food in the kitchen with my sisters and Mom, having good times with friends, going to a few home births with a midwife, having bon fires, sewing some of my own clothes, date nights with my husband, seeing the smiles on my babies faces, the list goes on and on. So many memories.

In those past 10 years I went from being someone who didn't have a clue about who I was and what I believed in, to becoming settled and happy with who I am, what I believe, and what my purpose is. It held years of struggling internally working through some of the most difficult circumstances I've ever faced, and learning some life lessons that I'll never forget. There are people who played pivotal roles at specific times in my life in the past 10 years that helped me gain perspective of myself and who I wanted to become. Some of those people used kind words and loving actions to show me who I wanted to be, and other people helped me too, by being rough, uncaring, and demeaning to also show me who I didn't want to become.

I learned that God had a specific plan for my life that included grace. That was life changing for me. My life became an incredible joy the day that God opened my eyes to see Him for Who He was/is/always will be, and that joy has never left no matter what life has thrown at me since. I've learned that how I view the circumstances of my life, will help me or will hurt me. Simply being thankful in the worst times for the littlest things, can make the situation a whole lot better even though the situation itself hasn't changed. Learning to be responsible for my own attitude (an ongoing lesson) has changed a lot in me. I've learned that life has hard moments for everyone, but each person handles the difficulties and joys differently and it shapes who they become.

I've determined that I want to learn to love unconditionally, and grow to be one of those sweet old ladies one day. Not one of the bitter, cantankerous, complaining kinds. I want to be humble, graceful, kind, strong. Someone who is a joy to be around. That means work for me between now and then, to not lose my focus on God's purpose for my life. It means choosing to love, when I don't want to, or don't feel like loving. It means seeing people through God's eyes. Giving every good and bad situation to the sovereignty of God, for the working of good in my life.

I have a hopeful outlook for the next 10 years. There'll be more good days and bad days, days of learning and days of memories. But at least I won't be lost during those years, like I was for part of my twenties. Those days are long gone. I have a hope, and a future. A life worth living. And it is all for the honor and glory of my Creator God. The One Who saved me from the destruction of myself, and set me on a joyful path.

Here's to the next 10 years! I'm ready to rock my thirties!

Do you have any words of wisdom for me as I enter my thirties? What is something that helped you or encouraged you in your thirties?