Life begins at 50

The mundane can take on a magical beauty when God is in it.

I love being 50. But I have decided I'm a slow learner, very methodical, things take time to really soak in. When I was ready to hit the "big 4-0" people (well, at least one person multiple times) would tell me that it's "all downhill". Apparently, once you hit 40 things start falling apart, the mind grows dim, the body develops aches and pains and begins to break down in all kinds of ways.

Be that as it may, and I'm not sure I agree with that, I LOVE being 50. That's probably because it took me 40 years to grow up. (Well, "grow up" is a relative term after all.) Until I turned 40, life just went along pretty much as planned. There were few mysteries or surprises. I knew about God, I wanted to know Him better, but it seemed mostly one-sided to me. God was pretty silent. Maybe because I was trying to get Him to follow me on the path I was choosing, maybe because I hadn't learned how to listen at all.

But sometime after 40 I guess God figured there was enough foundation to start messing with me without me totally falling apart. Sometime around 40 I told Him that I'd done a pretty poor job running my life, and He was welcome to step in and take over any time, and I meant it. And for the past 10 years He's been doing just that.

He teaches me over and over (and over...and over....and...) to let go. That is such a difficult thing to do. Often He has to bring me to the point where I have no other choice. But that is when the most incredible things happen.

So why do I love being 50? It's because I can now look back and see so many amazing things that God has done. Miracles! Not just in my life, but in the lives of those around me.

Can you relate?

Changing Seasons

I sit in our home office gazing over my desk through the curtainless window. The bright golden yellow of the fall leaves outside practically glow against the clear blue winter sky as they fall gently to the ground. one by one, shimmering with the icy white snow that glitters amidst the gold. It makes me remember how happy I am to live where I do.

It also makes me remember I need to get my day-dreaming butt in gear and get the cold weather plastic kits on the windows before we get our next heating bill!

Today is...

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." There are life-changing moments when that is so true.

November 14 is one of those. It was 1987 and I became "mom" to my second daughter, born that day. With two daughters my children were complete and would be a part of my heart for the rest of my life.

November 14 once again became a day of pivotal change. On that day, this year, my oldest daughter presented me with a granddaughter who immediately stole her own place in my heart, and nothing will ever be the same.

There have been many other momentous days in the past 50 years. So many in just the past five that it amazes me to think how the Lord has blessed me. There have been others, days of such pain that I will never forget. But through it all God has given me reason to rejoice and thank Him for even those moments, because it means that I have also been given the chance to love and be loved greatly.

I know that God has plans for my next 50 years. I dare not think too far ahead for the grief I know is waiting for me there. But, through faith, I know there is also much joy. It is my fervent prayer that I would not so much seek God's blessing on my plans, but rather, seek to live out God's plans for my next 50 years. That is what would make my next 50 far greater than the first.