Mama Bowen's birthday is this week and we got together today to celebrate. We all wanted to make this day special for her, so we were all trying to think of something we could do or get for her. Liz came up with the wonderful idea of giving her 60 happy thoughts for her 60th birthday. There are 6 kids in the Bowen clan so it meant that each family needed to come up with 10 happy thoughts. They could be pictures or quotes, anything you could think of that would bring happiness to Cynda. It was fun to do. What was even better was gathering around and watching Cynda as she opened up her happy thoughts. We have had many a gathering at the Bowen home and I always enjoy them, but this gathering for me has so far been the best of them all. We normally break off into small groups having conversations about this and that and so we don't always get a chance to talk to everyone. This time, every 5 to 10 minutes or so, we would gather around to watch Cynda open up another thought and inevitably it would turn into everyone talking about it and then someone sharing an experience or memory or funny thing that that particular happy thought reminded them of. This wasn't the intention of the happy thoughts, but it was a great bonus. It was very natural and I felt closer to this family. They really have become an extension of my family. I don't know what I would do without them.
We played a game that asked random questions about the Church.
It was surprisingly hard, but fun and educational.
Cynda with Maddy. Maddy just got this swim outfit and
although it is not yet swimming season she insists on wearing it.
She definitely has a mind of her own!
The awesome cake Liz made
The birthday girl and her awesome cake
Cole and his "fork" lift
The following pictures are a montage of photos by James:
The video below is an example of the Bowen spirit and talent when it comes to singing!
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