Happy Birthday to You, Jayme!

I just have to post a very happy 23rd birthday to a very special young woman, my cousin Jayme.  This girl is going do to great things in life, and in fact she already has.  At the ripe old age of 23 she has already:

• Competed in and won a Miss Teen pageant.  She then went on to remain active in these pageants, helping other young women to receive scholarships, gain confidence, and make differences in their lives and the lives around them.
• Competed in various sports and active teams throughout her high school years.
• Created and maintained a non-profit organization called MEDA that, while it was in existence, provided thousands of cards for people in situations of need and care.  
• Graduated from my alma-mater-GO JACKS-with flying colours and a degree that will serve her greatly.  While she was there she worked in residence life, worked as an ambassador, and contributed in many other ways to the university and its students.
• Gone on to be accepted into a prestigious and competitive master's program at Azusa Pacific University in California, where she is now stretching and growing even more as an individual, mentoring others, and seeing what God has in store for her.

One of the things I admire the most about Jayme is that she is not content to simply just be, she instead is constantly pushing herself to reach outside of her comfort zones and to be all that GOD has for her.  She challenges herself even when it is hard.  She has a heart for everyone that has been given a hand that is lesser than her and she tries daily to reach out to those in need.  She gives not only of her time, but also her finances and her very heart to make the lives of others better.

I am so proud of this girl.  She is sort of the baby of the Brunner cousins, and I remember when my aunt and uncle adopted her.  She was this cute little Korean girl that had a beaming smile and shiny black hair.  She was always bouncing around, beaming at everyone and just making us laugh.  I didn't know her that well as she was growing up, because I was a full 10 years older than her, and was really off to university and then places beyond as she grew up.  As she has grown up though, she has taken a path that has been somewhat similar to mine and two summers ago God allowed her to have an internship at WWU in Bellingham, just a stone's throw from us.  It gave us a chance to connect a bit more, and I now consider her not just my cousin, but a dear friend.

I am incredibly proud of the young woman that Jayme is becoming, and the ways that she challenges herself inevitably lead me to challenge myself.  Just a few months ago I got to spend a few days in California with her, and we had such a great time, but more importantly, we had several great conversations.

Jayme writes a blog, and I really encourage you to head on over to Medley and check it out.  I promise you will walk away challenged in some way.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYME!  I am so proud of you...I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you!