Hello from Alabama! I’m celebrating my 39th birthday with family and it’s been a huge blessing already. This prompt feels like an unusual juxtaposition to what’s normally encouraged on a birthday. Plus, when I think about gratitude, the hard to understand things are usually on the other end of the spectrum. Maybe i’ve been labeling that incorrectly. Are the hard to understand things the opposite of gratitude? There have definitely been times in my life when I would’ve said yes. Now, I don’t know. I will probably need to think on it for a bit. I am no stranger to the things that are tricky to understand. In fact, I basically make my bed there these days. My 38th year held several experiences that were just difficult. I’ve also had people confide in me about incredibly painful things. And while I feel incredibly privileged that people have trusted me with such heavy situations, it's heartbreaking to know how many people in this world are hurting. Lately, i’ve been thinking about what being an advocate looks like and how I can make more room in my life for serving within my community. I’m pretty confident that there will always be hard to understand somethings. But as I move into my 39th year, I feel like my approach to the hard things is going to look a little different. Thanks for reading and for all the birthday wishes!