The other day I turned 33 years old.  My mom called late the night before to tell me she had planned to stay awake long enough to call me at 1am to scream, “My water just broke, my water just broke!”  There are several levels on which that is scarring to think about, none of which are necessary to list.  But my mom is amazing and since she pushed out this 10lb 8.5oz beast of a baby boy back in 1978, she has permission to make such jokes.  (How’s that for an opener?)

My family always makes a huge deal of birthdays.  I love that.  On Christmas we even bake Jesus a cake and sing to Him.  I love that too.  Considering my birthday is only 2 days after the world celebrates the birth of the One who has completely shaped all of history, December 27 can kind of come and go and have no one even notice it…but my family never forgets…and now, neither does Facebook.

Crystal always makes me an incredibly cool cake that is rich enough to stop your heart, our family gathers, the children destroy whichever place of residence we have gathered in, and we tell stories.  My phone always fills up with text messages and voicemails of people singing “Happy Birthday” and this year my BlackBerry literally froze up due to the influx (yes, I just used the word influx) of Facebook notifications.

This year was special.  There is a lot of change going on in the Woods family and these moments to make memories before we leave matter.

It snowed the night before, so Ezra and I were able to put his brand new snowball-maker to use and build an arsenal in preparation for an enemy attack (Mommy and Calla) and build a family of 4 snowmen only to watch him drop-kick and smash them minutes later.  Crystal took me out for a hot date (dinner minus our children), before bringing me back for what was supposed to be a surprise party.  Of course we beat most of my family there.  It was good…really good.

Turning 33 doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s reason enough to reflect on how blessed I am.  My wife is remarkable and loves me…I don’t know anyone like Crystal.  Ezra and Calla are the sweetest kiddos ever.  My family is strong and loves me no matter what.  I’m in good health, I have a job, I am surrounded by friends… and even in the more painful times of this year, God has been good to me.

33 is already shaping up to be a year of significant change.  And I pray it will be a year of growth, a year of seeing God change lives, a year I bless Him in a way that honors how much He has blessed me.