A birthday and A gift

My good friend Graham texted me this morning to wish me a Happy Blog Birthday.... Which was awesome mainly because he is my biggest critic/cheerleader (I hear his voice when I blog... Sometimes I listen... Sometimes I dont) and I totally appreciate a friend who will be honest....it keeps me thinking and also because I had totally missed that it was the blog birthday!

So happy 4th birthday to my space on the www.

This blog has given me much joy and much needed space to process my life... To document our family, our adventures and misadventures ... For future generations of Byres to laugh heartily at no doubt!

To you dear readers - my deep, deep gratitude - you keep me going!

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Today I got a gift , not for the blog birthday, but a Christmas gift that touched my heart deeply. 

It's been "a year".... A tough year... I am tired.... Very tired.... And for the last week I have been feeling unwell and in a lot of pain from a pinched nerve in my upper back....

I may, possibly, have been a bit grouchy... My inner Eeyore may have been getting the best of me.

But today at 3:30pm all my Senior Staff from all our Centres very suspiciously happened to be milling about outside my office making curious small talk..... My radar was well attuned to something being up...

Once the last person arrived I was presented with a gift ...... Even now I find it hard to express how touched I was..am.

It is a painting, an original painting by a local artist ...

Painted FOR me!

I love love this artist and my senior staff wrote to her about me and then she painted this for ME!!!!!!!

It's called "Grounded Strength" and it's an April Lacheur original! www.YapesPaints.com 

I LOVE IT!

I was tearful and speechless for all the thought and effort that went into this gift.

I am undeserving of not only the gift but the words they each wrote.

They, Jennifer and Farida and Jolanta and Helen and Linda and Jannel, they make me want to live up to those words... To push through the hard times and continue to do this work with THESE people....

It was a great moment I shall long cherish in my heart.

I am one lucky Leader.

I am one deeply grateful Leader.