Meaningful Birthday Gifts from the Man Upstairs

A few days before my birthday, I was feeling pensive and melancholy.  Was it because of turning a year older?  I'm tempted to blame it on my hormones because the "monthly visit" came on my birthday.  Or maybe it was because of the beautiful solitude in Guimaras, where I spent my birthday weekend?

Fast forward two days after my birthday, thanks to my husband and a very dear friend, I realized that in my wistfulness, God had actually given me the most meaningful birthday gifts: