I love birthdays because I get to celebrate with my twin, Rachael. But last year, she couldn’t make it to our family’s party. All the joy went out of the big day for me.
Until I sensed God telling me to give my birthday away. My first stop was the finest bakery in town, where I picked up cupcakes to give to my colleagues. I took some more to friends who are shut-ins.
I gave my teenage neighbor, an aspiring writer, a journal. A friend who likes to write thank-you notes got colorful gel pens and pretty cards. I brought a big bag of miniature candy bars to a nursing-home patient who had sold her belongings yet still wanted to give to her neighbors—she made a lot of friends that night. I even found a brand-new iron at a garage sale to give my twin the next time I saw her.
Giving my birthday away made it one of the happiest ever.
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