Did you know that every nineteen years, the lunar and Gregorian calendars line up?  Not a well-known piece of information, but one of interest to me today.  Today is my birthday, and the third time in my life my lunar and Gregorian birthdays fall out on exactly the same day – and the first time since I learned about this factoid several years ago.

So yep, that means I’m now 38 years old!  I don’t have any plans to celebrate today in any special way – I feel very content and grateful for my amazingly normal and wonderful life, surrounded by people I love.  Here’s an excerpt from the lovely message my husband wrote for my birthday (I asked if he minded if I shared it here first), who I feel so blessed to be married to for almost two decades:

“Thank you for being such an understanding, accepting and loving wife.  Thank you for running our home with dedication, positive energy and joy.  Thank you for being a loving mother to our children.”

I feel almost overwhelmed at how quickly what seemed like an impossibly unreachable dream of moving with our entire family to Israel happened, when just a year ago, I was feeling so grateful that I would be able to make a short trip to visit my daughter who was studying here, something I didn’t think would be financially or logistically in our reach.  It wasn’t until March 2011 that we decided we’d like to make the move, and a few months later, here we were!  Sometimes I feel like pinching myself that we actually live here, and it’s just normal for us to be here.

This morning I was looking at an affirmation that I copied down a while back, and thinking how nice it is that it’s not just something I want to have in my life, but something I feel is my life right now (here’s part of it):

“Life is wonderful and I have lots of time to experience it fully….I love looking out of my windows at the beautiful environment.  I have a spectacular view, which continually inspires me.  I am so grateful for all of the beautiful riches that are continually overflowing my life!”

It’s not easy starting all over in a new country, new language, new everything at any stage, and with nine kids who have to make the adjustment, too, it’s really not simple.  I feel very grateful that we are are getting to know people and starting to feel like part of the community.  On Thursday afternoon, I passed a few mothers chatting, and one of them called after me (I didn’t turn around because I didn’t think anyone would be calling me!) and then followed after me to let me know that she and several other parents were having a kiddush in shul (synagogue) this week and wanted to be sure I knew about it and was invited to come.  I was so appreciative – a little thing like that makes a big difference when you’re new, that someone thinks of you enough to do that.

And when I actually was there on Shabbos morning at the kiddush, my kids had what used to be a familiar experience – being ready to leave, and having to wait for me repeatedly since I kept stopping to talk with someone else.  Do you know how nice it is, to be here less than three months, and already have so many people I can talk to, and not feel like a wallflower standing to the side?

No, my life isn’t perfect – I have challenges and frustrations that I deal with on a daily basis, like everyone.  But seeing how fast the years go by, I really try to fully enjoy and appreciate all that I have on a daily basis, and not take it for granted.

Since on his/her birthday, a person has a special power to bless others, and it’s well-known that words do have power to influence things, I’d like to use this opportunity to wish for every single one of you peace, health, love, meaning, and an abundance of everything good.  And also to bless you that you are able to see and appreciate all the wonderful things that are already in your life, and to bring joy to those around you by sharing some of what is beautiful in our amazing world with them.

Avivah