My 48th birthday was coming up this week. It’s interesting to me to note how some have certain numbers they struggle with. When I was 30 and not married I was not concerned in the least. When I turned 40 I had gotten married but had no children, and I was beyond despondent. I had no way of knowing in just three short months I would FINALLY be pregnant, by the grace of God and with the help of in invitro fertilization. This has been the first year I have not felt excited, and I have no idea why. First, it is much better than the alternative. Second, I have an impossibly handsome husband and a precious, beautiful little girl. Birthdays make me miss my folks, of course. But for some reason I have struggled with this one. Is it my mid-life crisis? I have found myself taking stock of my life, my accomplishments, and my dreams. The picture here was taken at the State Fair of Texas the day before my birthday. Just when I thought I had ridden every ride there was (after a lifetime of living in Dallas) we accidentally discovered this log flume ride. Our little one struck up a conversation with a lovely man who was working at the Fair and he inquired as to how many tickets we had left. I told him we had enough for her to go alone on one more ride. That darling man said, “Y’all come in twenty minutes to my ride there and I will get the three of you in as a family.” My husband gets motion sick but we thought he could handle it. None of us had ever ridden it! As a child my fondest memory was getting to ride the log ride at Six Flags with my parents. This was like a trip back in time, only cooler. I used to love riding in the front, Mama in the middle, and Daddy in the back. Now, thanks to this kind man, our little girl was in front, I was in the middle, and Burk brought up the rear. It reminded me of La Salle’s Riverboat Ride, only this was all hidden and lit up. They even had a “wolf!” I have always found life cyclical. Going through this awesome lit tunnel, I realized that I had so much more in my life to enjoy. Our ride was magical and so unexpected! I thought, as we entered under the waterfall, that this was what I had to look forward to: life’s journey full of surprises. The American actor and political activist Bradley Whitford said:
“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen … yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.”
And so despite no parents and no cake the next day, I realized I still had a lot to celebrate.
