To give is better than to receive

It was my 31st birthday today. I'm not exactly known for "over-hyping" these occasions, but today was a particularly odd birthday experience. I shall explain...

It started well enough, with Michelle risking missing her morning train (the one she gets a seat on!) to make me some bacon butties and generally sort me out with my breakfast. From there, I headed into the office to discover Patrick waking up, having slept on my office floor and the staff kitchen brimming with Urban Saints team members. There was a strange air of recrimination hanging about as bleary-eyed staff members tried to work out who was to blame for burning the porridge...

Then I went down to Esher for my day trip to the Christian Resources Exhibition. The intention had been to revisit this much-lamented event, catch up with friends and colleagues and maybe steal some promotional ideas. In reality, it was an experience that proved, for now at least, that we had made the right decision in dropping this from our schedule. It is not a bad event but it feels a way from our current target audience and definitely out of our budget. Personally, I find it too intense and uncomfortably "sales-y" to boot. The day became something of a reunion - swapping notes with Candy from Premier (thanks for the birthday beer!), Tim from ICC, Alan & Erika from CLS and various others as well as an "audience" with the irrepressible James from Yeomans and even the offer of a "subsidised coffee" from the legend that is Dave Landrum. That the guy even remembers who I am is testimony to his warmth and care...

After a brief, fleeting visit to my uncle in Feltham, I returned home for the last stage of my strange day. Handing out prayer cards with my home group around the streets surrounding our house. It won't be many that can say that they gave out more cards than they received on their last birthday! They do say that it is better to give than to receive! But before anyone even starts to think I'm complaining or looking for some shallow sympathy, I did get a very awesome chocolate cake to help mark my big day. However, it does rank up there as one of the more unusual birthday experiences.