Birthday thoughts

Today's post is not so much a parenting post. Or an activity post. Today I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind for awhile.

Today is not my birthday.

But it is coming soon, and turning a year older means different things to different people.

Sometimes it means more wrinkles and looking older.

Sometimes it means your body doesn't work as well as it used to.

Sometimes it means you are further from younger years- and sometimes happier times.

For some reason in our society, turning a year older is a bad thing. And I think that's really sad.

One summer in college I did a research internship in my home state of Oregon. I worked for an investigator who had been through a terrible car accident a few years earlier. She had brain damage from the accident as well as other physical ailments she still struggled with. It was her birthday while I was there and we asked her what her thoughts were on turning a year older. She proudly expressed her age and said that since her accident, she was happy and grateful to be alive another year.

Her attitude changed me.

How great is it that we get to be here one more year? Sometimes in the progression of life, we fail to recognize the small things that make life beautiful.

Here are just a small fraction of my favorite moments from this past year:

My life is far from perfect. We have no money. If we ever wanted more kids we literally couldn't afford to have them. Our two cars are too small, over ten years old and badly need to be replaced. Both our washer and dryer are only partially functional and need to be fixed or replaced. We haven't been on vacation in a very long time. There are many things we want but just can't pay for right now.

In the end, none of that matters. We have what we need. And I get to spend each day of my life with the three people who mean the most to me.

Bring on the wrinkles. I welcome aging because it means I have lived. For some reason, God gave me one more year of life.

Now it's time to celebrate.