Building The Love Shack

I woke up this morning to the phone ringing and Husband calling to wish me a Happy Birthday. Soon after the phone took off and the texts started coming and then the Facebook posting started. What a wonderful way to start my day.

The humor of those calls is when I got messages from my massage therapist and then my physiotherapist called to wish me a Happy Birthday. Soon after the doctor’s office called to remind me my annual physical is today. Yup, I’m getting older.

From there I had to go and renew my license plate, driver’s license, and my health card. It was my lucky day as there were only five people ahead of me before I got to give the government money for my birthday.

After the morning running around I’m sitting here trying to count back the years and trying to remember how I got to this number… Yes, that would be fifty-seven. It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating my Fabulous Fifty and what seems not long before that I met husband, already twenty-four years ago.

Stepping back in my mind I remember getting accepted to Nursing School and longer than that holding my first child who is now thirty-six.

I still remember my first date with my boyfriend from High School who is still my dear friend today, yes that would be over forty years ago and sitting on the floor in Grade Five making paper chains with my life long friend Cindy, over forty-six years ago.

There have been so many holidays and birthdays and special moments and special days, that one could never count them all. And yet there they are when I look behind me.

Looking at all of them, makes me look at me. I realize that the bad things turned to something good with time. That each step I took lead to me another person or adventure.

But mostly what I learned was how each person in my life influenced me to be who I am. The good ones and the bad ones. I realize that the bad experiences fade with time and the good ones last a lifetime. I also learned that humans make errors and forgiveness is a gift to all.

It seems hard to believe that we are talking about retirement, when not so long ago we were talking about a school dance.

I don’t know where the time went, but I do know who I spent it with. I’m grateful to the ones still in my life, but I am also grateful to the ones who passed through my life. I am also grateful for the ones who return to my life after a time of absence.

I wrote a speech for my fiftieth birthday and in it, I had said that I was going to start chasing rainbows, not for the pot of gold at the end but just to enjoy the colors along the way.

I am pleased to say, that I have learned to chase the rainbows and I keep doing it every day.

So on this day of my fifty-seventh birthday, instead of celebrating me, I would like to celebrate those who have been part of my journey.  Thank you for each day and each year and each birthday that you never forget and always make special.

This past two weeks and the next two will be spent celebrating with lunches and dinners with friends and family. What a lucky girl I am to have so many people who take their time to be with me.

Today will end with dinner with my family at home and then cuddling with the fur babies.  Life is good.

I am now counting the years to retirement and have an actual retirement plan.  I still can’t believe that I’m really that age! WOW!

Eight more years!