Happy Birthday Kathy

Regina and I told Kathy yesterday how stunning she looks when she wears red!  She responded that she doesn't very often wear red.  That's an amazing statement from someone born on Valentine's Day.  Kathy is one the left, but her friend, Cecilia, looks great in red, too.

Our 4th Day of Grace prayer group loves to celebrate birthdays.  Today we gathered around the fireplace in Marcia's basement and enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries, ham and bacon quiche, and cranberry scones with lemon curd.  For several years now each birthday honoree chooses a favorite charity and we donate to that charity instead of buying gifts for each other.  Kathy chose to give to Family Promise, an organization that provides housing in local churches for homeless families.

Kathy inspires me by the way she prepares meals from scratch, plants and raises a great garden every year, volunteers at the Soup Kitchen, sings in the choir, spends the night with homeless families at a local church, makes incredible scrapbooks for her children, prays everyday for her brothers and sisters,  still cuts and perms her friends hair, loves and honors her husband, Tom, expresses delight in her grandchildren, walks every day, loves to pick huckleberries, enjoys the benefits of both growing up in and then raising a large Catholic family, touches people who are grieving, sings "Galloping, galloping" on the Christmas album with her Karel sisters,  and especially how she loves her Lord.

Kathy, you are a gift to me and I'm filled with gratitude this day for your friendship!

Happy Birthday Kathy