Based in the desert of West Texas, Amara Bratcher is a full-time student minister who also writes, takes pictures and volunteers with at-risk children. She has written a book entitled The Bridge That Love Built for adopted kids who have gaps in the early years of their lives. She likes her coffee French Pressed and wears her hair curly 365 days a year. 

33

On the day that Math nerds around the country celebrate the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (thanks, Wikipedia), I have a birthday. 

This year, I quietly slipped into 33 and it felt good, like something that had been waiting for me. It fits. It's underrated to appreciate where you are - in life, in relationships, in digits.

I am learning to listen to seasons, having recently become a gardener. You can't rush growth. You can't embrace the harvest without first doing the work to prepare, plant and cultivate. 

That's true in life, too. You have to listen to the seasons, paying attention to the change of opportunities, interests, and passions in your world and then, measure your resources. You have to make cuts some places and double up efforts elsewhere. You have to prioritize and intentional-ize. You will face loss and experience joy. 

This year is a season, unique and transitory. I am not going to wish it away, pining for a year already lived or anticipating a year yet unrealized. I am going to fully inhabit here and now - 33.

 

Thursday Celebration

Remembering How to Write