Happy Half-Birthday!

Photo Credit:  jdurham from morgueFile.com

January means different things to different people.  For many, it means colds, flu, and cabin fever.  For some, it means new beginnings and gym memberships.  For a few, it means a winter vacation to frolic in the snow.  For me…January is my half-birthday!  Woo-hoo!  Ce-le-brate good times, come on, and celebrate!  Sing it with me now…you know the words.

Honestly, I never once thought about my half-birthday until this year.  Since I was born in 1975, this is my special year to join a wise, sophisticated, and refined group of folks.  Yep.  You guessed it.  This July, I’ll turn forty.  As of today, I am a young 14,444-day-old woman.  To date, I’ve enjoyed 10,317 week days and 4,127 weekend days.  I’ve lived on this earth over 1 billion seconds.  Whew!  Good stuff.

Many of us live for the weekends, don’t we?  We start the countdown on Sunday evening.  Friday night can’t come fast enough.  While there is nothing wrong with having something fun to look forward to; I have to stop and think if I’m doing my best to enjoy the precious moment called today.  After all, (spoiler alert) there are far more weekdays than weekends, per my brilliant computer’s calculations.  How am I using my Monday through Thursday?  (Cause we all know that Friday totally counts for the weekend.  Heh.)

I’m a calendar girl…oh gosh…NOT what you’re thinking!  What I mean is…I love calendars and planners.  I love using a rainbow assortment of highlighters to get everything in order for the week.  My daughter loves to copy my calendar’s events onto her own calendar so she’ll know what’s going on too (apples don’t fall far).  I think schedules are good and I know children thrive when they know what to expect.  But, I have to stop and think again…am I doing my best to enjoy the “highlights” of today?  THIS.  VERY.  DAY.

Over the last week or so, I've had each of the kiddos home sick at some point.  Fortunately, it hasn’t been anything that some ibuprofen, cough meds, and antibiotics couldn’t handle.  (Insert prayer of thanksgiving.)  But, it does put things into perspective.  Sometimes we don’t value our health until sickness comes.  The greatest wealth is health indeed.

So, while counting our blessings of improving health over here, I also found some inspirational quotes that I’d like to share.  On this beautiful half-birthday of mine, I thought this assortment from William Arthur Ward was especially enjoyable:

• Will someone else's life be brighter tomorrow because of what you have done today?
• Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. 
• Friendship flourishes at the fountain of forgiveness. 
• A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition. 
• Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. 
• To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity. 
• Forgiveness is a funny thing.  It warms the heart and cools the sting.
• When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves. 
• We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them. 
• God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say "thank you?” 
• The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.   The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires. 
• Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige.  It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character. 

Please don’t feel like you have to wait until your half-birthday to count your blessings and live with gratitude.  Let’s all start today…whatever today is…and notice the highlights (not just the gray ones in our hair).

Oh goodness…I think I feel a little poem comin’ on!

HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY

Happy half-birthday!  It's here at last,

Boy, those years - they flew by fast!

Forty used to seem so old,

I’ll be there soon, so I’m told.

Maybe it won’t be that bad,

Maybe I won’t be that sad.

Will gray hair look good on me?

Will arthritis find my knee?

Will my body droop and sag?

Looky here – a giant skin tag.

Are my bones supposed to crack?

Is that an ache there in my back?

Are those wrinkles on my skin?

Are those black hairs on my chin?

What about those spider veins?

And how ‘bout all those brand-new pains?

I will not fret; I’ll only pray,

Cause I’ve been blessed another day.

It’s okay.  I’ll be alright,

God and I are pretty tight.

I’ll trust in Him.  He’ll see me through,

The good times and the bad times too.

I’ll pray each day and thank Him more,

For all the things He has in store.

Grateful for another day,

His will be done; come what may.

I’ll try to put aside my fears,

And treasure all these precious years.

Today I think I’ll celebrate,

This side of the Pearly Gate!

May God bless each of you as you rejoice in your gifts, treasure your moments, and feel the Lord’s presence, especially on days you need Him most.  I will continue to pray for each of you. 

With a final reflection on my half-birthday, I pray that we all strive to have more faith.  If we allow it, faith will emerge from a well-spring within us.  Matthew Kelly explains it best - “Faith is about trusting in God, seeking to know and understand His ways, and struggling to follow and live in His ways.”  Sounds good to me!

Have a wonderful week, Sunshines!  (No presents please - hee hee!)