One of the Big Ones

Caleb's birthday is this coming Saturday.  18.  Deep breath.  :-)

This weekend our house was filled with Shanghai friends.  They started arriving a week ahead of time, Caleb's friends gathering for a big concert in Chicago that they had all made plans months ago to attend together .  Other friends came too, coincidentally.  We ended up with a houseful and it was so fun to have them all again.  Scott and I marveled at the crowd of Shanghai kids that were around our breakfast table Saturday morning.  How could it be?  We had served breakfast after sleep overs to this same group many weekend mornings in China... but this wasn't China... and here they all were!

Saturday night we had dinner at our house for everyone and I had decided we should do an early birthday cake since we had this group gathered.  Scott had picked out number candles and as I put the "18" on the cake it shocked me a little.  As we sang the birthday song, I realized that this birthday was not unlike this guy's birthday five years ago, when we were newly arrived in Shanghai.  He was turning 13 and I had no prospects for a party with friends until God put together far more than I could ask or imagine.  The Allen family, who were also new to Shanghai and whom we had met less than a week before the big day, gathered our family and another new family into their home for dinner, cake, gifts... the works.  Now the Allens and lots of other friends from China were in our Chicago kitchen celebrating another big birthday for Caleb.  A m a z i n g.

A milestone birthday for Caleb... this Saturday is the Big Day.   I love that he can look back and see how God provided for him and for all of us on his 13th birthday when we were new in a big foreign city five years ago.  I love that we had so many of our dear Shanghai friends with us on Saturday night for 18th birthday cake.

I love Caleb.   Happy Birthday!