Birthday Thoughts

Today is my birthday.

Sometimes on my birthday, I find myself thinking about past mistakes and things I coulda/woulda/shoulda done differently. But as I get older and hopefully wiser, I am realizing that life is not about the past but the future - and the only thing I can improve on is what I do with today, with this moment, and the next, and the next… throughout the coming year.

Like most of us, I lead a full and busy life. Now that I am retired, I often wonder how I ever found time to work. I sometimes find myself with too little time at the end of the day and realize that too much of my day was filled with unimportant things – low priority items.

So I am making a renewed effort to “reshuffle” my priorities and start putting first things first – reordering my life around the things that are really important to me. I want to live my daily life in a way that reflects my values. I want my relationship with Jesus, my marriage, my children and grandchildren to be the most important things in my life and I want to include work, friends, fun, and relaxation.

I want to get better at accepting myself as God’s special creation and work on being OK with who I am – on the inside and on the outside. I also plan to set aside time practice good health habits so that I am able to do all the things I dream about.

So this year, I intend to focus on the things that matter the most and to order my attitude, beliefs, and lifestyle in such a way that what I do truly reflects who I am. By God’s grace, I will change and grow this year and become healthier, happier, and more confident in my roles and responsibilities - as woman, wife, mother, grandmother, and child of God.