Fire Hazard Warning – There'll Be 70 Candles on my Cake!

I'm saluting my age 70+ friends today and counting my blessings because in two days I'll join you as I embark on my own 70+ ride! My Frisco family and I are making our way down to Austin for my "7-0 party" weekend. I’m so thankful that I made another year, particularly when I consider the alternative! I'm not downplaying having another birthday and thinking "no big deal". How silly would that be, especially when we throw a gigantic, blow-out of a birthday for a one-year-old that won’t even remember? Those here for DECADES are the ones that should be celebrated. Every year we're still here, we should own it and take in all the congratulatory celebrations we can!! We earned it BIG TIME!

I’m justifying my family "putting on the dog" this weekend for me and it’s bound to be quite the celebration based on “the older we get the more we should be celebrated.” I’ve made it to 70 years – 7 decades. OMG! I told my son to be sure there's a fire extinguisher around if they're putting 70 candles on my cake! How can it be? Where did the years go? We’ve ALL been sort of shocked that I’m turning 70. Oh, I know “70 is just a number", BUT, it’s a BIG number! Suddenly I’m getting more calls and more attention. I'm glad I've made it a habit to send "love" text messages to my children every morning. If they don't get that message from here on out....well, let's say I'll be sending kisses from heaven instead!!

I’m so thankful for this attention. They’ve planned this weekend for months. I have no idea what’s going to happen, except that I requested Franklin’s BBQ at some point”. The rest is top secret. Well, except for the text I received from my son: “Make sure you bring your swimsuit….hot at 70!”

I’m totally on a bandwagon of celebrating our lives – the only one that God gave us. Children anticipate their birthdays so much. In fact, they will say “I’m 8 and a half” with excitement that in a few months they’ll turn 9. They embrace turning 10 because it’s double digits. And, 13, because they'll be a teenager and 16 because they can get their driver's license. As children, we believed in the magic of birthdays. We counted down and planned for our party's theme: Princess, Super Hero, etc. We treasured the people who made our birthdays special, like the grandmother (me) who created a treasure hunt trail of rhyming notes that led to the grand finale's supremo birthday gift. We were stoked that our friends came bearing gifts and shared our yummy cake after we blew out the candles in one breath!

Let’s be clear – it’s not as much about the presents, as it is of the PRESENCE of those who love us and make us feel special. Here’s the real crux of the matter: We always were and always will be a treasure of God's, and on our birthday, we get to rock that truth. I’m rocking even as I type this post today. If my family wasn’t throwing me a party for this BIG 7-0, I’d be throwing myself one to celebrate I've made it this far and this long!

Birthdays are a big deal because birthdays represent our God-given mission and destiny and every year that we’re here, we get to celebrate our journey. And with each year, we have the opportunity to celebrate -- not for just THE day, but EACH day that God gives us. Celebrating it with a merry heart, a glad heart, a thankful heart, a forgiving heart, a heart open to the abundance of God's love and bringing forth fruit, being vigorous and flourishing. So, today, you’re invited to party right along on with me. Whether you are 27 or 57 or 97.....you are to be celebrated. You're still bearing fruit. We're still here so we're not done! We're not giving up until we're taken up!

"They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be vigorous and flourishing." Psalm 92:14