I Turned 58, so far it’s Great!

On July 3rd, we celebrated my fifty-eighth year of life.  This past year, I’ve struggled with anemia, and it means no matter how much I rest, I’m tired.  Tired is not fun.  It means naps are a required part of my day, and I miss those hours I lose to necessary sleep.  However, I do have a doctor and she’s keeping me working on treating it –it’s the result of a combo of my medication and prior diagonsises.      My physical goal for this year, is need fewer naps.    So I took those willing to the pool. This past year, I did a health goal of doing one thing to improve my health each week – -and it helped.   I made appointments and kept them.  As a family, we added more fruits and vegetebles to the menu and yes, I’m drinking more water.

I’m also working on my career, studying for national boards, reading more, and trying to improve my writing. (Speaking of which, I have a piece today over at the National Catholic Register).  I remember when I felt the story in my heart, as I pulled into school the first week of June, and looked at the students walking into the building.  I can still see their faces and that moment.   Life is about catching and keeping those moments, both in your heart, and in your life.

This past week, we celebrated big time.  We had a beautiful feast on my birthday, with cake and stuffed pork chops and gumbo, and capri salad.  The garden thrived and we have tomatoes on the vine.

Additionally, we packed up and spent the weekend in Shenendoah.  We road horses on the trails.  I haven’t been on a horse since 1998.    Spending an hour and a half on a trail, taking in the sun, the apple orchard, and black berries along the way, it felt perfect.   Watching the horses and three of my children experience riding for the first time, I told my son when I retire, I’m buying a horse.

We hiked Big Meadow, Stone Gap, and my son loved it so much, he hiked alone to the top againt to feast on Buffalo Wings and watch the sun.   He loved it.  We loved it.  As younger parents, we used to hike and camp more, but forgot how wonderful it was .   It felt like a rediscovery of joy we should not have forgotten.

Driving back, we needed a day to recovery, but had a date night Saturday and saw the movie, “Fly Me to the Moon.”  My husband and I both recommend, a solid sweet rom-com movie.    All in all,  a fabulous Birthday week. However, my favorite gift was a photo collage by my kids.

I admit, I’ve been wanting this for years.   It made me cry.  Love to you all, I will try to get back to the writing discipline of every day, five hundred plus words.

(Nuts, I have 23 words left to go. So here you are.  Pray for Texas as it braces for Beryl.  Hug your kids, phone your mom, pray for everyone and play more.  The world needs more prayer, more hugs, more playing, more deliberate joy discovered, manufactured, sought –and you, each of you, are part of the solution).    See you tomorrow.