mama mondays: 43

Me at 43

It’s funny how we are about these things. I’ve always been an even-numbers gal. So I approached my 43rd birthday on Friday in a hum-drum kind of way.

God, however, wouldn’t have any of it. “It’s another year of life,” He whispered into my ear. Then He sent my mother for a visit and filled those three days with an extra spark of life, reminding me that I still have my mother, and she has hers, and that our lives are filled with other loved ones who bring a constant influx of vibrancy our way. We are all very blessed just to exist.

But God wasn’t satisfied with just that, either. He also sent me the most amazing day. A Friday birthday — and one leading into a long weekend — naturally arrives with an abundance of anticipatory energy, but add to that blue skies with temps in the mid-70s and suddenly, it’s no ordinary birthday after all. While nothing crazy happened, each moment seemed quietly extraordinary somehow. I felt a deep sense of peace underlying the entire day.

It ended with an adults-only dinner out with my husband, mother and me. Some suggestions were made but in the end, after much quiet hemming and hawing, I narrowed down the choices based on the day’s perfect-weather gift: a patio. It would have to be somewhere with a patio.

And so it was that we found ourselves sitting outside on a still September 2 night, sipping cool drinks, enjoying conversations with one another, breathing in an amazing evening and another year of life.

The celebrating continued the next day with a lunch with my mom, daughters and a friend; evening Mass; a burritos dinner; and a movie date watching The Help, followed by a slice or two of chocolate Snickers cake (chocolate dessert seemed especially appropriate given one detail in the movie, which, if you’ve seen it or read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about.)

I loved this birthday. It wasn’t a zany, high-energy sort of celebration filled with surprises (except for the gift that was left on my front step without an envelope to reveal the name of the giver). Instead, it was filled with coffee and a birthday brownie with Mom, hundreds of Facebook greetings from friends old and new, several phones calls from loved ones,  a midday nap, some afternoon errand running, and hugs from the kids.

So far, the 40s have been a good place to be. I have few complaints and a lot of life to look forward to. Thanks to those of you who have visited here this past year. I hope to see more of you in this, the 44th year of my life!


Q4U: What decade are you in? What are some of the pluses of that decade to you?