In this last week of July, I can’t help but to fully think about all aspects of life right now. July is my birth month and almost 10 years ago I began celebrating the entire month (and year for certain milestones). It wasn’t meant to be a celebration of me, but rather my ode to God for allowing me to still be here. I started traveling more and gaining such rich experiences of new destinations with lots of culture and good food. Because of the panorama outside, my 2020 and 2021 birthdays have looked a lot different.

This year was especially hard for me. If you’ve read any of my posts in the last couple of months, I’m sure you know by now that I am expecting my first child. However, you may not realize that I am far along in my pregnancy during these dog days of summer. Oh and I live in the SOUTH! Yo! This is not for the faint of heart…these triple digit feels like temperatures with high humidity plus late third trimester plus a virus that is behaving like Bebe’s Kids – “They don’t die. They multiply.” It has had me down and out because I have just been feigning to be in some water. A pool. A beach. SOMEWHERE other than my house.

However, as I reflect on this July and last July, I am reminded of the goodness of the Lord. Last year, my mom allowed me to have a tea party at her house for my birthday. I had 2 friends in town, who I KNOW had been properly isolated and careful during the onset of the viral invasion. We were able to socially distance inside of the house and enjoy each other’s company. I had not laid eyes on my partner for over 5 months and I was excited when he and his cousin also showed up. He wrapped a large box up as a birthday present and it turned out to be an engagement ring. We had such a wonderful day at mom’s house! This year I was mostly confined to my house with biweekly doctor’s appointments. My mom came and stayed with me for 2 weeks and she did so much to help prepare for the baby. She cooked and cleaned and kept me company while my guy was out of the country. I look back on both years and thank God for how blessed I am.

So, as July 2021 comes to an end, I will continue to think about the love of family and friends and reminisce about a time when outside was fully open and we could roam about unhindered.