~and life remains good~

I always get asked by kids just how old I am.  Some are bashful and shy about it while others are forward and upfront.  I smile in my heart when the first one asks me because I know how I am always going to answer them.

"Sure I will tell you how old I am but you will have to do a math problem to find out.  What year is it?  Take that year and subtract 1955 from it.  Let me know what you come up with."

I love watching them go to work at it and in no time at all they usually arrive at the right age, kind of/sort of.  This week when I was asked by a student, a very good subtracter by the way, he said that I was 60.  When I told him that he was wrong, he immediately started to look puzzled. That boy is smart and he just knew that his figures were correct.  When I told him that I was only 59 until my birthday in late October, he smiled at me.

"Hey!  I knew I was right," he said back.

Yesterday would have been my sister's 73rd birthday had she not been killed in an auto accident back in 1969.  She was only 27 and still so very young.  Janice never saw the semi speeding towards her that late afternoon in November and she died instantly in the crash.  I told the kids about her and reminded them what I always remind myself, especially in times when I think about having grown a whole lot older these days.

"Please believe me when I tell you that it is a blessing to be older.  Life is a gift."

My father died when he was the very same age that I am.  Lung cancer took his life before he had the chance to celebrate his 60th birthday.  He seemed old to me back then but now that I am the same age as my father was he really doesn't seem all that old to me now.  In fact, he was rather young.  I have found it is all in the way you look at it, my friends.  

 So today on day #21,854 of my life, I give thanks and rejoice that I was healthy enough to pop out of bed this morning when the alarm rang at 4 a.m. to be able to start a brand new day.  I may be 59.83 years old in my body but in my spirit I am still 21.78 years young.  Life's been good to me so far and I believe I can say one thing more.

It shall be good to me in the days, weeks, and years ahead as well.

For all of the people who didn't make it to see the age 60, I commend this day to you.

My older sister Janice would have been 73 yesterday had her life not ended that November afternoon in 1969.

My little sister and I walked in memory of our older brother at the ALS walk in Wichita, Kansas in September of 2010.  Mike passed away from ALS in 2007 and was only 62 years old.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom and my brother Mike.  Both are gone now but are "frozen in time" right here in this photo.

This picture of my father was taken a couple of months before he passed away in December of 1982.  I have this photo in my classroom and when one of the kids saw it on the first day of school, they mistakenly thought he was my husband.  It seemed rather odd at first but then I realized that of course they would.  He was 59 in this picture and the very same age as his little girl is now.  One thing I feel sure in my heart is that my father would be most happy to see me celebrate my 60th year of life.  I'm not going to disappoint him.

The age of 21 doesn't really seem like it was 39 years ago now but it was.  Life was good then and I still believe in my heart that it is good right now as well.