From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful to the good Lord above for granting me 65 years of longevity and relatively good health. I say relative because this old arthritis is knocking at my door and visiting my knees on a regular basis of late. As I turn 65 today, I feel the need to pause and reflect on my life in general.

I have been given a gift that some have not achieved and that is to be able to to reach this milestone birthday. I don’t know how many more years I have, of course, no one does. But I am happy. I am grateful. And I am excited to push on to the next year.

There is something that creeps into your mindset when you reach your 65th year. You are reminded that you are a senior citizen. I have had my AARP card now for 15 years. LOL! But now I have embarked upon Medicare and Social Security and am full blown into taking advantage of Senior discounts for everything. I have achieved all the rights of a Senior citizen and intend to use those rights to the fullest.

I feel blessed for so many reasons of late. So in this blog, my intent is to pause and acknowledge some of my many blessings that have brought me to this point.

• First, I am grateful that I have a God who loves me, who provides for me and who keeps me in His Will. I am happy to give Him the praise and the the worship that He is so deserving of. I love starting my day with devotion and prayer and it sets the tone for everything that comes next. And most importantly, it keeps me grounded. His Word in Psalm 121:7-8 tells me: “The LORD will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore”. Now that is satisfaction for me!
• Next, I am thankful that my health is reasonably good, except for some arthritic pain and aches, I am still pretty mobile and independent. I go to the gym and take advantage of an active lifestyle, while knowing it can be improved with further commitment. I am only on one medication, which in and of itself is a blessing.
• I am also thankful for the blessing of family and friends. I have many lifelong friends who have been with me for decades and then there are some who have come in and out of my life for a particular season. I treasure my friends and am thankful for time spent with them. And I have, and always will proclaim to all, the best sister in the world. She is my best friend! We were raised to be friends and that has certainly held true. I had to say good bye to my mom in June, for she passed on to her heavenly reward. I miss her every single day of my life, but her stamp on my life is something that I draw from as much as if she was still with me. Being raised by such a godly woman who loved deeply and passed that on to everyone she knew has had such rippling effects, in letting her go. I draw from the memories and know that being a believer, I will one day be reunited with her and all my loved ones again.
• I am about to embark upon two major life changes, which are huge blessings. The first is that I am going to be a grandma in July and that fills me with joy. Right now my joy is cerebral in that it is a notion. But I know when I lay my eyes on my grandchild, my heart will forever be taken. The second major life change is my moving a thousand miles away from the place I have called home since 1982. Moving at any age is a bit daunting, but when you factor in a late in life move, along with all of the things that need to happen to achieve that move, it becomes a formidable task. Leaving old friends will be scary, but understanding that you will still be united with them in a new arena makes it exciting.

Who knows what this 65th year of life will bring? Even with the best of planning, the path I take may be very different from the one I am planning. I hold onto Jeremiah 29:11–”For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I keep it close to my heart and I know God has a blueprint for my life. My challenge is to align my desires with His Will. The joy remains in knowing, change is coming and I am up for the challenge.  And if I am not up to it, He will strengthen and enable me to accomplish it.

So thank you Lord ahead of time for what is to come! I am ready for the journey!