As I'm writing this post (longhand) in one of my favourite corners of our home (my reading/writing nook), I'm reminded of a comment one of my sisters made a while back, that went something like this: "You must be getting old because you're saying "years ago" a lot".
I admit that at first I was (a bit) insulted (sorry sister if you're reading this) even though she said it in fun. Not many of us (women) want to admit our age once we hit the "39 and holding" mark. I remember sitting in my doctor's office on my 40th birthday, crying my eyes out and the doctor asked (gently) if my age was bothering me. "Everything is bothering me", I replied. But that's another story.
This year of 2009, in this (glorious) month of June, I will celebrate (Lord willing) living on this earth for 56 years. Not a milestone, per say, but I'm following another sister's example by observing the day of my "birth" for the entire month. Yes, I thought it was a bit of an extravagant idea at first, but I've since latched on to the concept.
Why shouldn't we look back and remember how we got to this point in our lives, this place of maturity (questionable in my case), of accepting who we are (somewhat); this moment of realizing life has its sweet times, as well as the sad?
Sometimes it does just seem like yesterday (not "years ago") that I was counting down the days and hours until the end of the school term. My birthday falling on the end of the month was always a great measuring stick for that highly anticiapted event. The long summer days of running barefoot in the clover field, pigtails swinging, were (unquestionably) the most magical of my childhood.
Wading in the stream that ran along our property, climbing trees, picking wild strawberries just because I loved to--that "movie" playing in my mind brings joy mixed with a few tears, and lots of sweet sighs...ahhh..
Then, I fast forward to present day. Ouch!! We are bombarded with economical downturn, images of war and poverty and crime and.......Wait a minute...what happened to running barefoot in the sweet summer breezes? Have we lost the "innocence of life" and replaced it with modern technology? My answer is, "Only if we want to".
No, we can't make the tragedies of this crazy and wild world disappear. But we can choose to appreciate where we've been, who we've become, who and how we love and cherish. It's not a matter of a click of the mouse, it's a "matter of the heart"!
After almost 56 years to reflect upon, I'm choosing to honour my "birth" day by celebrating life! And not just for the month of June, but from henseforth. I'm going to hug a little more, treasure the tender moments a little more; laugh, cry and shout a LOT MORE!! I'm going to sing, jump, skip, play, soak in--a WHOLE LOT MORE!!
And...I'm going to spread it around. So, don't be surprised if I call sometime, out of the blue, and ask, "Would you like to come over for tea in the garden?". Then we'll dance on the lawn, laughing like children, because 'we can'.
I hope you celebrate your "birth" day (and month) with those you love and cherish, this year and forever!!
Blessings to you and "yours", Barb
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