Last week my mom was looking through a magazine and found a delectable recipe for a chocolate mint julep pie to celebrate the Kentucky Derby. She then realized that the race was on the same day as her birthday. I did not realize that she enjoyed watching it so much. So, we decided to plan a birthday party for her with a Kentucky Derby theme. We looked through the rest of the ideas in the magazine, then found the official Kentucky Derby website which was full of party ideas and recipes. Today was the big celebration. One of my brothers, my sisters, and nephew came over. We did our best to dress for the occasion. The racing field was divided up randomly and the names were handed out in little trophy cups so everyone had a couple of horses to root for. While we were awaiting the greatest 2 minutes of sports, we snacked on baked brie, crab dip, and iced mint tea. The winner of the race – one of my sisters – got to take home the beautiful bouquet of roses. Then it was time for presents including a Pandora charm of a little horse for my mom to mark the occasion. I found a funny card that had pictures of cute puppies on it and all the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren picked one that represented them. It turned out just adorable. We finished the celebration with the chocolate mint julep pie. It turned out delicious. After everyone left, my mom said it was the most fun birthday she has had in years. That made it all worthwhile.

I Found God today in helping to provide a wonderful birthday celebration for my parents.