Another Trip Around the Sun: A Birthday Reflection
🎉 Another Trip Around the Sun: A Birthday Reflection 🎉
By Angel, Founder of AMC Rise and Thrive
Hello, radiant soul 🌟
This week, I celebrate another trip around the sun—a new
chapter, a new year, a deeper version of me unfolding. As I sit with the
emotions this milestone brings, I’m not overwhelmed by parties or presents.
Instead, I find myself wrapped in something more sacred: presence, gratitude,
and awe. I made it. I’m still here—breathing, evolving, healing. And for that
alone, my soul whispers: thank you.
👶 A Sacred
Beginning
Let me share something personal—something I’ve carried with me
my entire life. It’s a story my mother told me every year like a sacred
lullaby. The story of my conception, my struggle to get here, and the miracle
of my birth.
For nearly three years, my parents tried to conceive a child.
Nothing happened. Then one day, my mom went to the doctor for emergency
gallbladder surgery. They ran routine tests and came back with shocking news:
“We can’t operate—you’re pregnant.”
It was supposed to be impossible. But there I was, already
writing my own narrative.
The joy, however, was quickly tempered by fear. My mom had
epilepsy, and the anti-seizure medication she needed carried grave warnings.
The doctors told her she had a 50/50 chance: if she took the medication, it
could harm me. If she stopped, a seizure could do the same.
My parents made a brave, selfless decision. They chose faith.
She stopped the medication and placed her trust in divine protection.
Around six months into the pregnancy, my mom had a seizure. I
stopped moving for eight long hours. Everyone feared the worst—until finally, I
kicked. I was back. (Maybe that explains my stubbornness to this day. 😉)
Then came my due date. Still, no baby. Four days later, after
44 hours of labor—yes, 44—I finally made my grand entrance into the world. Ten
fingers. Ten toes. Powerful lungs that echoed down the hospital hallways. My
aunt, the first to see me, shouted with joy: “It’s a girl!”
My parents had never even picked out a boy’s name. My dad knew
I was a girl from the start. There was no doubt. They named me Amaris—“promised
by God” or “gifted by God”—to honor the miracle I was to them.
Because of the risks involved, I became their only child.
🎂 Do You
Celebrate You?
Let me ask you, from my heart to yours:
- When
is your birthday?
- Do
you celebrate yourself?
Not just with balloons and cake—though I fully support both 🍰🎈—but with
presence, gratitude, and a deep honoring of your own soul’s
journey?
Too often, we pour love into others without hesitation. We
celebrate their wins, uplift them through their lows, and stand fiercely in
their corner. But when it comes to celebrating ourselves? We shrink. We
downplay. We whisper instead of roar.
We tell ourselves, “It’s just another day.”
But birthdays aren’t just days on a calendar. They’re sacred
anniversaries of our becoming. Markers of growth, resilience, and divine
orchestration. They whisper:
- “You
made it.”
- “You’ve
grown.”
- “You’re
still here, and you’re still becoming.”
🌟 What My
Birthday Means to Me Now
For years, I didn’t give much thought to birthdays. Life was
busy, my energy low, and I wasn’t one to want the spotlight. That changed a few
years ago when my dad and second mom gave me something unexpected: a birthday
week.
At first, I thought, a whole week about me? It felt
foreign. Even as an only child, I was raised to think of others first. But that
week changed something inside me. It made me feel cherished, seen, and worthy.
Now, I view birthdays not through the lens of vanity—but
reverence.
This year, my celebration isn’t flashy. It’s soulful. It’s
about:
- Honoring
the woman, I’ve become through storms I didn’t see coming.
- Acknowledging
the healing I chose when staying broken felt easier.
- Celebrating
the boundaries I’ve learned to set with love and compassion.
- Thanking
the divine for the whispered prayers that held me together.
- Remembering
that I’m alive—and that alone is holy.
💥 Real
Talk: I Shouldn’t Be Here
Let me be honest. I’ve done some dumb things in my life. I’ve
walked roads I shouldn’t have; been in accidents I should not have survived.
Yet here I am—by grace, not by chance.
And you? You’re here too.
You’ve lived through a pandemic. You’ve cried in silence.
You’ve overcome battles nobody saw. Maybe you've also made choices that
could’ve ended everything. But you didn’t. You’re still here.
Don’t ever take that lightly.
✨ A Gentle
Invitation
Whether your birthday is today or six months from now, I offer
you this truth:
💫 You are
worthy of celebration.
💫 Your journey is sacred.
💫 You are not here by
accident.
Take the picture. Buy yourself the flowers. Speak your dreams
out loud. Dance barefoot in your living room. Rest deeply. Laugh loudly. Cry
freely.
You are here on purpose—with purpose—and the world
is better because of it.
💖 A
Birthday Affirmation
Close your eyes. Breathe. And speak this with me:
“I honor the journey that brought me here. I
embrace who I am and who I am becoming. I am grateful for another year of
growth, love, and divine purpose.”
Say it. Write it. Live it.
📖 A
Birthday Bible Verse
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it.” — Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
No matter what your life looks like today, this day is
holy. Your very presence is a miracle in motion.
🌻 Lessons
from the Past Year
With every year comes new insights. Here are a few gems this
past year taught me:
- 🌱
It’s okay to slow down. Growth doesn’t always roar—sometimes, it whispers.
- 🌀
Healing is not linear. You may revisit wounds, and that’s okay.
- 🔥
Your voice matters—even when it shakes.
- 🌸
Softness in a hard world is radical strength.
- 🌙
Faith works behind the scenes—quiet, steady, miraculous.
If you’re in a season of unraveling or rising, know this:
there’s beauty in both.
🎉 A
Birthday Blessing
To everyone celebrating a birthday this week—Happy
Birthday, beautiful soul. I see you. I honor you. And I celebrate the
sacred space you hold in this world.
And even if it’s not your birthday—celebrate anyway.
You woke up today. You’re breathing. Your story continues. That alone is
divine.
May this year bring you deeper into your truth.
May you feel held, protected, and empowered.
May your light shine unapologetically, and your heart expand beyond what you
believed possible.
🕛 Join Me
on This Soulful Journey
As part of my commitment to authenticity and spiritual
alignment, I now publish new blog posts every other day at midnight CST.
🌙✨
Let this space be your soul’s sanctuary—a place of reflection,
restoration, and rising.
Thank you for walking this journey with me. Thank you for
reading. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart.
With love, joy, and birthday blessings,
Angel 🌸
AMC Rise and Thrive
🎶 Song
of the Day: “Wonder”
by Natalie Merchant
#BirthdayReflection #SpiritualJourney #SelfLoveMatters
#GratitudeAlways #AMCRiseandThrive
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