This is 32.

Today is my birthday, and honestly, I haven’t ever really been a big “birthday” person… especially for the last 10 years or so I just could not care less about my birthday.

But this year, for a lot of reasons, I have a grateful heart around my birthday.

I always heard that the 30s were the best years, and so far, that is proving to be true. My 30s (so far) have brought me a sense of clarity, a sense of purpose, a sense of passion, and a humble and thankful heart that I just didn’t have a complete grasp of in my 20s.

I’m realizing now more than ever that life is too short to hold grudges and regrets. Life happens. Mistakes happen. We can’t dwell on them or else we will never move forward. We have to learn from those things and then use them to grow and change and make our lives and the lives of those around us better. Forgiveness is hard, saying I’m sorry is hard, admitting when we’ve messed up is hard. But we can’t let the awkwardness or the fear or the discomfort of those things keep us from doing what needs to be done. Maybe there’s a person you need to forgive, maybe there’s a person you need to say I’m sorry to… there’s someone in your life that you miss. Tell them. Call them. Reach out.

I’m grateful for the simple fact that I’m here, I’m alive, and I’m breathing. There’s that saying, “If you’re not dead, then God’s not done.” And while that might be maybe a tad morbid, the phrase rings true. I hold the belief that we were all created on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose… nothing was on accident… and while it might take time and while we never will fully understand it this side of heaven, our lives were meant for great things. And the more that we can walk in gratefulness and with a humble heart, the more we can live the life we were designed to live.

I don’t know what the next year will bring, but I do know that I’m happy and I’m oh-so-thankful that I get to experience it.