The Best is Yet to Come

As many of you know, I am turning 30 next week.  This has never really bothered me too much until just recently... It finally hit me that I'm entering another decade.  Well, one of my friends (who's a few years older than me) explained to me that the thirties are the best years of your life.  She said that in your twenties you are still trying to figure out who you are and your body goes through so many changes with having kids.  In your thirties, you already know who you are, and you can have fun just being YOU!  I started thinking about this, and it's so true!  It's amazing how much I've changed from when I was 20 years old.  This also got me thinking about the first 30 years.  In those years, I cultivated so many relationships and, as cliche as it sounds, those relationships and experiences molded me into who I am today.  It's amazing to think about each and every relationship over the past 30 years.  In this order, I've become:

I first was a child of God.
Then at birth, I became a daughter, granddaughter, niece and cousin.
A few years later I became a sister.
Somewhere in there I also became a friend. Then a best friend.
Many years went by before I became a girlfriend. Then fiance.
All in one night, I became a wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law and aunt.
And most recently, I became a mother.

I treasure each and every one of these relationships, and it's amazing to me that, at 30 years old, I only have two more relationships to look forward to - becoming a Mother-in-law and a Grandmother.  Although, I've enjoyed the first thirty... just as Tim McGraw sings, "My next thirty years will be the best years of my life!"  I will get to build on the foundation I have with Matthew, watch my boys grow to be men with families of their own, and continue to deepen my relationships with my close friends and family.  Bring on the THIRTIES!