Today is a special day for a special person. I had planned to celebrate in person, a bit early, but you know how life is; it likes to thump us around sometimes. So in lieu of an in person flesh pile, we are instituting a virtual blogathon birthday. This will be a departure from the usual posts from the Village Idiot. Please return on Wednesday for more of that flavor. For now, though, allow me to introduce you to someone who has changed an awful lot of lives and just happens to be wearing a cone shaped Elmo hat as she blows out 40 birthday candles before her house burns down!

The first song is definitely the best of the bunch.

And here’s another group of people wanting to share the love. This one makes me  happy.

Annndddd…one more. And this one pretty much illustrates everything that is wrong with my family. Shirtless (again). Really REALLY loud. And though they can carry a tune, they have, on this very important occasion, chosen not to. My apologies, friend. They love you anyway. I mean it. This one makes me cringe.

For other personal videograms, see the Shout Outs tab. And for our best attempts at honoring our dear friend, read on!
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I wonder if you know my friend, Jennifer. Today is her birthday. Her 40^th birthday. I hope she won’t mind me posting that to the worldwide superinformationhighway web.  She usually isn’t the type to let a number get to her. In fact, she makes it a habit to rise above most things. Things that have at times made my mind shut completely down. And since I hit 40 first, I feel like perhaps it’s okay to blast to the world that she is here now…joining me. Convalescence. It feels good, really.

If you know my friend Jennifer, then you have some idea why I am dedicating today’s entire blog to her. In one word, she is amazing. If she gets knocked down, she gets back up stronger than she was. If someone else gets knocked down, she is there to pull them up. If the world sits down on her, she learns something while she is trapped there and she prays herself out from under it. If there is a silver lining, she finds it. If there isn’t a silver lining, she makes one herself (though not with a needle and thread…she does it with hot glue…like me!). She is an encourager, a worshiper, an indescribable friend, a servant, the embodiment of love, and an Overcomer.

She is Jennifer the Overcomer.

I first met Jennifer at Florida College in the fall of 1989. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Jennifer had met my mother at church a few weeks prior to us starting college. My mother went on and on about how I didn’t want to go there and maybe Jennifer and I could be roommates. It was a recruiting campaign, but done with just enough raw facts that Jennifer made a mental note to avoid the head case named Missy and that was that. I was a head case, but she didn’t actually try to avoid me. That’s not who Jennifer is. Time passed, I got less homesick, our circles began to overlap a tad (I know you are going to find this difficult to believe, but she ran with a cooler circle than I could really keep up with), and we became friends. And by the end of our sophomore year, with many adventures, trips, and failed pranks under our belts, we were the best of friends.  While I watched her try to covertly slink around with the dude who eventually became her husband, I was spending time with her sister in the Warren County Jail. We weren’t inmates. We were visitors. And believe me, we were the best things to be seen in that place since 1922.

Her friendship, her circle in Kentucky, her mom and dad, her sister, have all blessed me and I am so much better because of this. I feel blessed to have hung out in their home when I was still completely free and irresponsible and blissfully innocent. I feel blessed to have been there in those early days of her finding the person she would spend her life with. I feel blessed to have been the sloth she chose to watch her sweet baby while she was off helping her sister get ready to marry (believe me…there’s a whole blog waiting on the foibles of my babysitting. Hallie, I tried!). I feel blessed to have sat on porch after porch after porch, year after year, chatting in a sweet saltwater breeze. I feel blessed that when life sat down on top of me a time or two, and I was completely convinced I was just going to stay there, she wouldn’t let me. And when she needed to, she just laid down next to me under the burden.  I am thankful that 22 years later, I am still wishing her Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dear Friend. Thank you for overcoming. Thank you for keeping your gaze fixed on Jesus, because it helps me do the same. Sometimes I am tempted to forget. But you won’t let me.

I hope the world scoots up under you today, to the tune of Happy Birthday and to the texture of everything you love. I hope you can feel the weight of a crown around your head, because you deserve to be treated like royalty.

And if you don’t know my friend, Jennifer, look around here today. By the time you are done, you’ll have some idea who she really is. But you won’t know all of it, because there’s too much for a silly blog. If you already know my friend, Jennifer, tell God thank you–because you’ve been given a gift.

I love you, Jen. Happy Birthday!
-Missy
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Happy 40th Birthday, Jennifer!  You are a special friend, a caring and compassionate person and you are an amazing testimony to God’s grace and love.  I have so many wonderful memories and thoughts of you.  I was blessed to meet you while our girls jumped rope together with the awesome Jumpin’ Jaguars!  We packed our girls up and sent them to Mason, Ohio for camp.  I will never forget your leadership in preparing their “Medieval Times” door theme and Hallie’s incredible costume.  You have always gone above and beyond in providing a taxi service to all those around you too.  You have always been there to make my life easier.  And you do everything with a smile.  I will try to express a few of my thoughts with this….

J is for joyful
E is for encouraging
N is for nurturing
N is for naturally nice
I is for inspiring
F is for faithful friend
E is for eternal life through Christ
R is for radiant source of strength

Jennifer, I love you and I am very thankful that God has put you in my life.  I think of you and pray for you and your family often.  You truly are an amazing woman of God. Your love for others shines through in all you do.Happy Birthday and welcome to the “40 Club”.  I have been waiting on you!  🙂

Thanks for being my eBay Queen!
Love ya!
DeAnn McElroy
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Jennifer,

40 years… wow… I am so thankful I have an opportunity to write and tell you once again of how much of an absolute blessing it has been for me to know you.  I hate that we don’t get time together as we once did.  The loss is mine for sure.  I’ve heard “preachers” talk of “walking sermons” and I don’t know if you are a sermon as much as a just a walking glory!!  A forty year pathway that if anyone were to follow such a pathway it would only lead them to a relationship with God that is saturated with complete dependence, love, faith, happiness, and to me, someone who doesn’t just hold His hand, but is living with their arms wrapped around His neck because you just love and want to be that close to Him.  This makes me smile!!!  Your faith and light on this earth is simply too rare.  You have only (and always) inspired me to reach more within to hopefully also become something deeper for my God.  In you I have witnessed time and time again that suffering is no reason to give up on God, but hanging with Him until the end is what matters.  I’ve never witnessed it to be the immediate outcome that counts with you, but its the end result, one that will never be regretted.  You’ve shown me and everyone that the greatest blessing in life IS one’s relationship with God.  It is no wonder that I truly carry your friendship and example in my heart.   You are and will always be a kindred spirit to me and a friend I cherish to my core.  I couldn’t be more sincere in that statement Jennifer.  I look forward to nothing more than spending an eternity with you someday so we can hang out always! Thank you for being such an inspiration and light.. SUCH a LIGHT… in this life.  You my dear…ROCK. 🙂  I love you dearly and hope you have the best 40th birthday on the planet!  YOU DESERVE IT!  I love you dearly!!

Your friend always and always,
Rachel
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Mom,
On this special day I just wanted to let you know how much I truly love you!!! I don’t know what I would do without you!!! You are the best mommy any kid could ever ask for!!! I love you and hope your day is great!!!

Love,
Hallie

Happy Birthday, Jennifer!!  Jennifer, I have known you for about 5.5 years and I can truly say that you are a part of my family…both physically and spiritually.  Thank you for being the wonderful person that you are to everyone.  You are the epitome of a Christian woman and the woman spoken of in Proverbs 31.  You are loving, caring, humble, sweet, thoughtful, understanding, funny, helpful, etc.  The list could go on and on!  You are someone I look up to in my life and am so thankful for having you as my sister in Christ.  Thank you so much for showing me your love for God.  You may not realize it, but it helps me love Him more.  I thank God for you daily and will continue to do so.  I hope your day is as amazing as you are!  Love you very much!”  Megan Stinson
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Jennifer has always allowed Christ to minister to me through her. Her love shines through her smile and warmth accompanies her every touch. Her compassion reigns supreme and her tenderness never fades. When I am having a hard day, I always wish I could be with her. She does all this and is still one of the most beautiful women I know! I am so thankful and blessed to call her my friend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Love, Becky Dobbins
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