Humbled and Awed..."Just Because"

I am so humbled and awed by the unexpected gifts that have been given to me this week. Yes, it was my birthday, but these were gifts given that I was totally unprepared for...

It all started with this lovely teacup...Wait a minute...it actually started a couple of weeks ago with this little Canon Camera...a gift from someone who barely knows me but who went to high school with my sister and was a few years ahead of me...and he heard of my problems with my camera and just happened to have this one laying around that he didn't need...so he sent it to me in the mail "just because..."

 And THEN came this lovely teacup...a gift from a dear friend ...not necessarily for my birthday...but "just because"...., which brought tears to my eyes and lots of hugs...

Then came this delightful little apron in the mail, made with love by one of my childhood girlfriends...totally caught me off guard again...

And then today some dear friends from one of our past church ministries came by for a visit and brought us home-canned vegetables and fruits from their garden, along with fresh eggs from their range free chickens and other food items from their farm...and a little basket of rose petals simply because they smelled so sweet and she knew how I loved them... (btw...they didn't know it was my birthday yesterday...they just wanted to come and spend some time with us! "Just Because!")

Of course, the sign above the kitchen sink, a labor of love from my carpenter son continues to make me smile and sing every time I walk into my kitchen...

Oh....and I must not forget the gift of fall mums that mysteriously appeared on my doorstep yesterday...one from my sweet son, and the other from my friend and neighbor that I call my personal flower lady (and her hubby)...they sell flowers at the Salt Springs Flea Market every Saturday morning...but these were a gift...

  

  All in all, it's been an amazing week. And it's not over yet. I meet with my family and friends tomorrow for lunch and apple pie..."Just because"....well, it is because of my birthday...BUT, all of this has been so overwhelming and humbling to me.  Oh, and not to mention the many words of birthday love sent to me all day yesterday on Facebook from friends and family and people I've never even met in person..."just because"....and then some cards in the mail and on email and then the banana nut bread from a dear sweet 87 year old lady who volunteers each week at the church where I work...

And not to forget the best gift of all from my sweet grandson and daughter in law...a phone call from Maine, singing "Happy Birthday dear Grandma", and yes, I must admit it hurt me deep inside my heart that my own dear son was not there singing with them...but I know where he is...and I'm sure he's singing to me along with all the angel choir, joined by my mom and dad and grandparents and all the other ancestors I've yet to meet. And I feel comforted by that thought.

Yes, I am humbled and awed by it all..."just because."

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

always making request for you all with joy..."

Philippians 1:3-4

"Just because..."

P.S. added after I thought about this all night, and I wrote this in my reply to one of my friend's comments below.. "It reminds me of the verse in Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Amen. That is just how I feel today."