From family, friends and clients I received these 11 dear gifts, very few of which were things...

1. When my 17 yo daughty ran at me full speed, jumped up into my arms and gave me the biggest hug of my life while I held her up in the air like when she was little. Oh, my little girl... Makes me tear up... I'm such a baby.

2. My wife who said to my daughty who didn't know what to do for me for my bday: "Just make him something nice. You know how happy he gets over little things." To know that's how my wife sees me and knows me means a lot. My daughty later decided to play and sing a Bob Dylan song for me (see--->)!

3. My wife who gave me the gift of her culinary wizardry: THE chicken pot pie (words cannot describe!) and killer chocolate cake! She also surprised me with a geeky cool tech present I've been wanting! Woo hoo!

4. The relaxing shoulder massage from my 14 yo daughty that I didn't even have to beg and plead for!

5. The sweet hand-made card from my 12 yo boy.

6. Being surrounded by family who came over even though it meant their kids had to stay up late.

7. Hundreds of happy birthday wishes from Facebook friends. I wrote this to them:

"Dear FB Friends. Seriously, thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes. Tech and online stuff can get a bad rap for all the ways it disconnects people, and there's truth to that. HOWEVER, due props to Facebook for bringing so many of us together who would have never reconnected or never would've met. Reading all the birthday wishes from those I know well and those I barely know actually mean a lot. Most of you know I'm a tech geek and tend to the tech as half-full vs. half-empty, and this is another one of those reminders of how neat tech can be. I mean, c'mon, most of you remember pre-Facebook days--People who moved out of your lives, people you liked, unless you were SUPER close, were pretty much gone for good. However, now we can un-creepily stalk each other and see how each other is doing. It's nice to catch up with old friends, even if it's just seeing their posts online, and know how they are doing--good times and hard. It's been nice to see people from high school who've grown out of their insecurities (me, too) and have grown into just nice people.

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So thanks everyone for using my bday to remind me of all the neat people out there. This just goes to prove my point from this pic and post I posted the other day...

And my dear clients who shared these sentiments with me today:

8. "I keep saying this but thank for saving my marriage."
—Male client
I told him, "I NEVER tire of hearing that!"

9. "Happy Birthday to one of the MOST AMAZING guys I have EVER NOT met in my life. Two years ago I met this guy and he has helped me in more ways than he could ever know. Happy, Happy, Birthday to a guy who is making a difference in the world. Best wishes always!"
—Female client I've never met in person as we work remotely via phone sessions.

10. "Happy birthday to my very best girlfriend, hero, my witness of Christ and what he really is all about. You saved me. Thank you for being the one Christ knew would help me in all areas of my life and also show me how the Lord uses others to intimately communicate through and feel of His love. You are my example of healthy relationships, especially the unconditional love between you and Kara. How a father actually enjoys and wants to spend time with his kids and how your kids can be vulnerable and have trust in you. Also, you have given me the opportunity to know that others behind the veil are truly involved in helping and wanting me make it back home to my Heavenly Father. "We are all one in purpose," You are my hero and l love you dearly! I can't help but love your family because I know how much you love them. "The worth of a soul is great" Thank you for showing me this. Have a happy birthday you deserve it"
—Female client

11. "I hope you are blessed this year with so many blessings you can't hold them all, just as you have been a blessing to others."
—Female client

They think I'm great, which means a lot coming from them, because these women ARE AMAZING!!! In their own ways they've each been through hell and back and they continue to get back up and kick booty!

mkul, mrec, ttep, jbac