Birthdays with Love

November 15th, 1943.......November 15th, 2008

I will officially be 65 on this date. I know, it says in the profile I wrote a couple of months ago when I set up my blog, that I was 65. You see I was just practicing. For a year now, I have been waiting on this date, so it was like I was writing the age as a dare. A gamble of sorts, would I really reach 65? I did. This is one birthday I will honestly celebrate.

Birthdays have never been a big deal to me. I have so many friends and family members who send cards, and never forget birthdays. I am really lax in that. Normally, birthdays just do not seem to be very important to me, but for many reason’s, this one is.

I made it! I really have lived thru 65 years! Wow!

65, very interesting, sometimes bad, mostly good, all of them very full years.

A couple of the pictures below show “reflection”. Looking at something through a different tool of vision.

To borrow a favorite line from the song, “Memories”, “in the corner of my mind, misty water colored memories”, written by A.L. Webber. Misty indeed, and how obviously they change in appearance when you look back. Frayed edges, blurry images, distant observations, but there. They are always there. They are what I am.

Parts of them I like, parts of them I don’t.

Being 65 means that even though my mind can pretend I’m still 25, my body tells me different. Being 65 means I can now have less expensive health care and receive my social security! Being 65 means I walk slower. Being 65 means my kids and grandkids look at me as an “older person”. Being 65 means I know some things younger people don’t. Being 65 means I’ve had more fun and more heartaches for a longer period of time than many have had. Not worse or better fun and heartaches, just more of them. Being 65 means I have cooked more meals than others, washed more clothes, ate more meals, and walked further than “most” of those younger than I.

I remember there being two previous birthdays that stands out as being special. The first one was when I turned 30. I remember thinking at the time, “this is the end of my youthful, carefree days, and that proved to be true. I could no longer claim innocence or ignorance for my mistakes. It was time to grow up. The other one was at age 50. Age 50 was when I realized I would probably not become a millionaire, or have the perfect life most of us can only dream about. By then our dreams had been shattered many times and we were still rebuilding our future. Saying all of the above, I have had a very special person beside me for every one of those birthdays...... For 47 years, Jim has been right there with me on each of them and every day between them. I could not have made them without him, as he is a huge part of my growing with each and every day we have spent together. Even though my old body is not as attractive as it once was, even though I've not always been pleasant to be around, and even tho his "child bride" has changed considerably, he is still there, encouraging me to continue on to become 66 and even more. I am now officially his "old lady".... :), and I am so proud to be so!

At age 65 the future is shorter. It could still hold a lot of surprises, but if they’re bad, I won’t have to suffer through them as long. That in itself makes my reflection of 65 years become a thing to celebrate! To all of you who have put up with me over these years, or even a part of these years…thank you. Don’t think you’ve got it made though; there is still so much more to come, and I dare you to join me for the remainder of the journey. 

Happy Birthday Me!
(And love to you all).