Today, July 29, is my birthday, and I, for one, am obviously glad it came around. For those of you who sniff disdainfully, saying birthdays are no big deal, I ask you to consider how interesting they become when you are standing on the eve of one. Seriously…birthdays are great! Consider the alternative!
Nothing lasts forever...
Actually I think birthdays serve to give us a look-back at what the year held. Of course some years seem better than others if we have avoided experiences with loss, sickness and death. But as life proceeds, we cannot help knowing that nothing lasts forever, and no one escapes the Grim Reaper. We cannot deny the need to fold in the hard times with the good times, and we really cannot predict what we will find around the corner.
"God's wonderful surprises"....
With each passing year, I think that a bit of gratitude is in order. We made it through; we made it through tough hands that may have been dealt. We made it through disappointments that may have changed everything. We also hit some heights, and maybe some of what I like to call “God’s wonderful surprises” showed up to shine grace on us.
...Thinking of old friends...
Birthdays are good reasons for thinking of old friends, some with us more than half a lifetime, and they are reminders that new friends come through the door as well, hustling us out of comfort zones we have grown used to.
Portals to possibilities that lie in wait...
Maybe most of all, birthdays stand as portals to possibilities that lie in wait, maybe including people, events and things we might never have imagined. Maybe some newnesses stand a little frightening, and some things yet unfinished await our efforts. Whatever we may think of these milestones, they cannot fail to be an invitation to another portion of our lives. Wisdom would have us accept.
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