Today, it’s all about Suzanne. It should be, it’s her birthday!
Today, August 16th, 2026, Suzanne is 56 years young. And she gave me permission to write about it. The sisters of The Sister Lode are not afraid to talk about age, we know it is a gift denied to many. Gail turned 66 in February, I was 60 in April and Suzanne celebrates today.
Knowing her love of The Brady Bunch, Gail created this masterpiece for Suzanne and sent it on our group chat:
Sorry Alice, today Suzanne gets to be front and center. And relax Jan, no Marsha Marsha Marsha today!
Suzanne isn’t celebrating in a grand fashion today, she’s keeping it low-key. She and I got to spend some time enjoying shopping and lunch on Friday. However, both Suzanne and I are celebrating vicariously through Gail, as Gail and her husband are visiting Gail’s daughter Abby in Michigan, the magical place we visited together last summer.
We plan to celebrate together at a later time, sometimes life just gets in the way. She has her annual check-in call with Madonna, as she too is celebrating her birthday. Steve Carell is celebrating his as well, if she has time she may give him a ring too. And, who can forget Elvis? He died (or did he?) on this day in 1977. Such a historic day.
Birthdays have a way of taking one on a trip down Memory Lane, so I thought I would enhance that with a montage of Suzanne’s pictures from this blog through the years; we have been posting for ten years already!
Whenever your birthday is, be sure to celebrate, because IT’S NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY! It’s the day you arrived on earth and it is worth celebrating. Take it from us, we know. And we want you to know that today is Suzanne’s birthday, so if you can catch her between Madonna and Steve, be sure to wish her a good one!
I am so excited to make this announcement: I will be 60 next week!
Age is truly a gift, and I am not one to miss out on gifts and celebrations. I am celebrating before, during and after, and my hope is that if you are not doing the same on your birthday, you will start.
Collectively, then, Gail, Suzanne and I have 181 years of living shared between us, and that makes for many opportunities to gather wisdom. So, that is just what we have done for you.
Yes, age can bring us down with its accompanying aches and pains, afflictions and maladies, but none of us are willing to go back to any previous age–aging is that good.
So, no matter your age, embrace it, share your wisdom and please accept ours. I’ll go first:
*Spring always springs, indicating that I survived yet another winter, my least favorite season. The best birthday gift I get every year is from Mother Nature herself, she makes sure the green leaves are hung in time for my big day. Summer, my favorite season does always end, and I survive until the next one. Complaining doesn’t help. Gail and Suzanne embrace the weather whatever it is, and I am trying to learn from them.
*Speaking of summer, bananas always rot faster in the summer. And speaking of fruit, if you leave a half-eaten apple in your car (except during the summer), you can finish eating it the next day and you won’t die. Suzanne thinks it’s gross, but I am living proof. I refuse to waste food.
*And speaking of your gut, listen to it and go with it, even if you can’t explain why.
*I’m sorry are two of the most beautiful words in our language when used together.
*Our language is so strange. We talk about a sunny day and a starry night, but never a moony night. No matter what kind of night it is, sleep is underrated by most people. Not me. Make sure you get enough, even if Gail doesn’t.
*Turns out that new pair of shoes won’t bring lifelong fulfillment.
*We never know why people might act the way they do. Perhaps their parents just died and we don’t know that.
*Just because someone is upset with you doesn’t mean you did something wrong.
*Because we’ve always done it that way is a pretty good reason to consider doing it a different way.
*You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. The corollary to that, courtesy of Suzanne, is this: All that stuff used to be money and all that money used to be time. Ka-pow between the eyes on that one—thanks, Suzanne!
*Fly your weird flag if you have one. Nobody else is uniquely you.
*Find that thing that makes your soul sing and do it. A good gauge is if you lose track of time doing it, then it’s probably your thing.
*Life can be really sucky sometimes, but it is mostly good if you keep you feelers out for the good.
*If you have your health, or enough of it to enjoy life, you have been given a gift. Open it every day.
*If you have the desire, your health as mentioned above, the time and the money, go to those places you want to travel to. You may not be able to later.
*Loved ones die, but love remains. Lean on others to get through. That’s how we did it.
*Most of the things we worry about never happen. Prayer and worry cancel each other out, so choose prayer.
*Fair comes once a year and it’s already come and gone. It’s where you get cotton candy and ride the rides. Life’s not fair, so suck it up and move on.
*Good or bad, what you focus on increases.
*It’s okay to jump on the bed in your hotel room when you are traveling with your sisters.
Suzanne now offers her succinct wisdom:
*To share some excellent advice from our infinitely wise mother, when you’re having trouble deciding if you should do something, imagine you did it and how do you feel? Or, imagine you didn’t do it and how do you feel? I’m not saying I was ever smart enough to follow this until my later years, but it’s a great idea.
*No matter how much you want your parents to NOT be right, they usually are.
Here’s Gail:
*If you are wrong, admit it. Then people have nothing to hold against you. Take the high road.
*Stress only happens if you let it.
*Always have something to look forward to–thanks Mom!
*Do your own thing. In response to, “My friends get to do X, why can’t I?” Mom used to say, “If everyone else was jumping off a cliff, would you?”
*Never switch drivers while driving down the road.
*Don’t stay out too late. If you do, don’t get caught. I learned this from being grounded several times.
*Take time for yourself and do what YOU want to do.
*If you like coffee, drink plenty of it.
*Spread good energy. It just might make someone’s day!
Please, no matter how many years you have lived, do not bemoan turning another year older. Not only is it an insult to Life itself, but you are choosing to look at the dark side of age. It will always be there if you look for it, but so will the bright side.
Just ask Gail.
Gail celebrated her 65th birthday in grand style on February 21st in her small town in western Kansas. It was a good crowd to help celebrate her 65 year mark.
Just a mere five years ago, just before the world shut down due to COVID, we rang in her 60th year in grand style as well. Mercifully, her birthday was in late February. Had it been just a few weeks later, the gathering may have been prohibited.
Her youthfully energetic daughter Lydia helped plan and carry out that party, and she was the ringleader again this time, organizing this soiree five years later.
The event was held at a downtown gathering place. Clearly, a fun time was had by all. Being the early-to-bed type, I didn’t stay until the wee hours as many of them did, but the report was that a great time was indeed had by all. Suzanne was not able to come, the winter flu was taking its toll on her. Two of our brothers were tending to calving on the farm and the other two could only be there in spirit, so I was the lone sibling there to help her celebrate.
Many hands make light work, as the axiom goes. The clean-up the next day was a party of its own, as several guests came back to help restore the venue to it’s pre-party state. And just because it’s the morning after, that doesn’t mean the party is over for Gail.
The party is never really over for Gail, and that is a great thing.
At age 65, many people are winding down their working lives toward retirement. That is a great thing, too, but not for everyone. Especially not for Gail. She will continue to keep all those plates spinning in the air, and will enjoy every minute of it. She will more likely continue to re-fire, continuing to get fired up about all that life sends her way. She will continue to work with a smile on her face, likely until she can no longer work or smile, which, will likely be her last day on earth.
I pray that day is not before she celebrates her 100th birthday.
This Tuesday, March Fourth, will mark the 17th anniversary of our parents’ deaths. Mom and Dad were 71 and 73, and we would have given anything we had to have many more years with them.
Our time to go is not ours to decide, so whatever time we are given should be treated like the gift that it is. As we, their seven children continue to March Forth to carry on their legacies of love and kindness, we have learned this hard lesson. Still, we all need reminders sometimes to make the most of every day and celebrate occasions small and large. It seems life–and death–have a way of continuing to offer us this lesson, with opportunities presented every day to learn if we simply pay attention to them.
Gail’s birthday was one such opportunity. A large one. I will celebrate my 59th birthday next month and Suzanne will celebrate her 55th birthday in August. We will use those opportunities to celebrate somehow, and we whenever we can, the sisters of The Sister Lode get together to do just that.
Another trip around the sun should always be celebrated. When your next birthday comes around, think of Gail and celebrate in your own special way, because it is indeed a gift that should always be opened.
Thank you to every one of the multitude of Gail’s friends who helped her celebrate, and special thanks to one of our most devoted readers, her friend Cathy.
I know a 100-year old woman who is writing the story of her amazing life. She has been through a spell of illness lately, and when she was still recovering, she said she was only taking life one day at a time. She wasn’t sure if she should think far enough ahead to consider completing her book.
Now, several weeks after returning home from a protracted hospital and skilled nursing home stay, she is ready to keep telling her story. She says she can see further down the road now.
Just before she turned 100, she said, “There is a lady down the street who is 102. I want to get to know her, and ask her how she does it.”
“Lucy,” I said to her, “You are already doing it.”
I want to be like her when I grow up.
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It seems just a few years ago that I gave birth to my boys. Now they are both over six feet tall, and both married.
Jude and Olivia were home to get married and will soon return to the other side of the world. Soon thereafter–hopefully within a few more years–they will return home to the United States to stay. I wish them Godspeed on their return trip and as they embark on the journey of marriage. They are off to a good start.
Next week, Gail will turn 64 years young. It was just four short years ago that we celebrated her 60th birthday, right before Covid shut the world down. Gail, I know, is never really going to age, and growing up is optional for her. She remains young at heart, and that is what matters. We will celebrate her birthday in grand style on our upcoming Colorado trip in two weeks.
I will be 58 years young in a few months and Suzanne will be 54 this summer. In my mind, it seems these pictures were taken perhaps just 20 years ago–or so.
I have little tolerance for anyone who complains about turning another year older, or lying about their age to make themselves seem younger. “Age is a gift,” I tell them. As we all know, not everyone gets to have more birthdays. My only complaint is that as the giant clock of time continues to speed up its pace, they keep coming around too soon. I picture the hands on this master clock beginning to loosen and fly off because they are spinning too fast. I’m not sure how this happens, but I agree with this observation: The hours and days may drag by, but the months and years fly by. And, as a wise woman once explained to me, this increasing pace works like this: When you are ten years old, time moves ten miles per hour. When you are twenty, it moves twenty mph. When you are thirty…and on and on. You get the idea.
This year, we are given the gift of one extra day. Leap on it, and enjoy. And, if you know Gail, send her good wishes on Wednesday for finishing another trip around the sun.
It’s always a popular subject, and lately, it’s been something to talk about.
Today, after almost two weeks of cloudy–maybe there was one day of sun in there, I can’t remember, the sun is shining. Glory. Be. Hallelujah.
We have had almost two weeks of clouds along with intermittent rain, snow upon snow, sub-zero temperatures, wind with dangerous—as in life-threatening–wind chills, ice, sleet and fog. It did make for some pretty pictures, but that’s about it in my book.
My soul was almost drained dry, but today, as the sun shines bright in my window as I write, I am redeemed. Filled up. Refreshed and renewed. I am solar-powered, and my batteries are recharging. As I mentioned in a previous post, my favorite weather is Florida. January, then, is my least favorite month.
Not so for Gail and Suzanne, both of whom embrace almost any weather, especially the wind.
I bought this cozy shirt on our Florida trip to remind me of the beach when it is cold here.
When I lived in Philadelphia, I met my dear friend Carol. She peppered her speech with Yiddish words, lovingly calling me a “meshugana.” It is Yiddish for “crazy girl,” and I took it as a compliment. I am now calling my wind-loving sisters both “meshuganas, and it is not a compliment.
I asked them for their input for this post, and this is what Suzanne offered: “It was okay to get married in it because I was so in love. I was oblivious to everything around me. I’m still in love, but I loathe and despise the cold weather. The wind, however, is always welcome.”
Suzanne got married in February 2021 during a cold snap much like the one we just had.
And from Gail: “You know me, I’m an all-weather kind of gal. I appreciate the ferocity of a good storm, whether it be snow, rain, thunder or WIND. There’s nothing you can do to change it. Embrace it as I have said before. Storms are perhaps God’s way of reminding us of His power.”
At one point, Gail said, “I love the wind so much, I’m thinking of changing my name to ‘Gail Force Wind.'”
Meshuganas.
Enough about the weather. It is a topic best for when there is nothing else to talk about and there is plenty we can talk about today.
Let’s start with wishing that man Suzanne is still in love with (I just threw up in my mouth a little bit) a happy birthday today. Another trip around the sun is always something to talk about.
And, our dear mother would have celebrated her 87th birthday last Monday. In our own ways, we still celebrate her birthday.
On that same day, my sweet future daughter-in-law Olivia celebrated her birthday as well. They will get married this Saturday in Omaha and we are so thrilled to welcome her into our family. And, back to the weather, it is predicted to be 41 degrees and partly cloudy. For Nebraska in February, that’s weather to talk about.
Suzanne’s daughter will celebrate her birthday next week, another trip around the sun for her, another reason to celebrate.
Our home state of Kansas celebrates it’s 163rd birthday tomorrow, January 29th. We are born and raised Kansas girls, and while we enjoy visiting the Sunshine State, our hearts will always be in the Sunflower State. That is something to talk about and something to be proud of.
This picture jogs my memory: I just realized I need to get my Kansas day outfit ready for tomorrow.
Here’s a blast from the recent past-try to ignore Suzanne’s shirt…
And–one of my favorite days of the year is this Friday: Groundhog Day! We will celebrate by attending a wedding rehearsal, but I always sneak in another viewing of one of my favorite movies: Groundhog Day. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It has a great message.
While I am not a football fan, I realize our almost-hometown NFL boys are something to talk about. As I write upstairs with the splendid sunshine pouring in the windows, my husband is hunkered down in the basement watching the Kansas City Chiefs battle the Baltimore Ravens in the playoff game that will grant a Super Bowl berth to the winner. I am hopeful they can pull it off again to go to Super Bowl 58. I am not a fan per se, but I will always know how old the Super Bowl is because it was born the same year I was.
If the Chiefs were matched up against the Philadelphia Eagles as they were last year in the Super Bowl, I may have to reconsider my allegiance. We watched the Super Bowl last year and I wore both red and green to show my divided support. I did spend a few weekends just down the road in Baltimore while I lived in Philadelphia, so I’m feeling just a bit of allegiance to the Ravens as well.
As in all sports, may the best team win. No matter who wins today, or in the Super Bowl, that’s always something to talk about long afterward, as well as before, and during…
And speaking of competitions, The Spell-It Sisters will not have the opportunity to bring home the gold again at the annual Neighbor-to-Neighbor Spelling Bee in my beloved Abilene. With our neighbor Jordan’s help on our team, we won last year and placed the year before, but we will be attending a much more important event: Jude and Olivia’s wedding. Next year we will be back, a force to be reckoned with once again.
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On January 1st, My friend Carol called me. She wanted to start the new year off right, so she went through her phone contacts to get back in touch with old friends, and I’m so glad she did. We laughed about me being a meshugana, and about how it was beshert–fate–that we were neighbors in Philadelphia. She has since moved to south Florida from Philadelphia. She reads this blog, and frequently posts wonderful comments. It has been over 30 years since we have seen each other, and that is too long. She was my across-the-street-neighbor-turned-friend, and those are the kind to keep for life. She loves Florida weather like I do, and has invited me to visit her anytime.
That’s something I need to talk seriously to myself about.
There are so many other connections I need to make in the next few months. Those 52 lunch dates I had in this book I finally finished (see “52 Thanksgiving Lunches,” December 3rd, 2023) each get a copy. I have reconnected with some, but the rest are patiently waiting for theirs. We will again have a lot to talk about. And, there are others not in the book I want to visit. Again, lots to talk about.
As I age, I find my circle of friends and acquaintances getting smaller. Gail and Suzanne agree. This is by choice, we realize. It is hard to keep up with everyone from our pasts, and further, we find that not everyone fits into our lives like they used to. Furthermore, I no longer want them to.
A quote I heard a long time ago has stuck with me: Not every relationship is supposed to last forever. I know this to be true, and this is not a bad thing. Age gives us the gift of insight, and makes us more aware of the value of what is important to us, especially relationships. Our sense of time passage also sharpens, and we (should) realize it is a gift not granted. Nor is good health, nor is there a guarantee that the people we want to see again someday will be there someday. Most of us can make more money, but none of us can make more time. Spend them both wisely, especially time. And while you’re at it, talk to yourself about those trips you have always wanted to take…
Two separate gifts, one from each of my two wise sisters…
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It is now 5:38 pm, and the Chiefs have officially sealed the deal: they are headed back to the Super Bowl. This is big stuff and people will be talking about until then, and long after. After all, it is more exciting than talking about the weather.
Go Chiefs…Happy Birthday Steve, Julia, Mom and Olivia…Happy Kansas Day…Congratulations Jude and Olivia. ..get out there and talk to those people who are still important in your life…and maybe travel a bit, too. The Sisters of The Sister Lode plan to do both.
Twelve years ago, as I was pondering my upcoming 45th birthday–it felt big back then–I realized that if I was lucky, I was at halftime. If I lived to 90 years, I would be defying the odds.
Three years ago, we celebrated Gail’s 60th birthday (Dance Like Gail’s Watching, February 23, 2020). It was a big one, and on Tuesday, she will have completed yet another trip around the sun. She will get the birthday due she deserves, but her birthday is a bit overshadowed this year.
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Gail, Suzanne and I come from a long line of strong women. Our mother, though quiet, possessed a strength that was fierce yet soft, powerful yet gentle. We never knew her mother; she died when Mom was eight, just as our dad’s mother did. Dad’s father didn’t remarry, but Mom’s did. When Mom was a teenager, he married “Granny,” the only grandmother we ever knew. She was an incredible woman as well.
Mom’s full sister, Jeanne, was two years older than her. Mom had two more younger sisters after her dad remarried, Reitha and Sharon.
When Jeanne was 18 months old, she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma–cancer in both retinas. This was in the 1930’s, and treatment was limited. She had both eyes removed, but it didn’t stop her from living a full, robust life.
She attended Kansas School for the Blind in Kansas City, and went on to marry and have two children. She was a medical transcriptionist for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wichita, and had a full social life. She was a maestro on the organ, playing beautifully at my wedding, and often in her church. In 2006, she died at age 71. Mom died two years later at the same age.
Jeanne and Mom at my wedding shower. She is “looking” at a gift. She often used that word.
Don, her husband, is blind as well. He, too, is an amazing human being, and keeps going strong. On Wednesday of this week, he will turn 90 years old. He retired from a long career at Beech Aircraft in Wichita, but has kept his mind very busy since then. He has an insatiable appetite for information, and can cite current news, world events, historical and biographical information. He listens to news on the radio and television, listens to recorded books and newspapers, and loves to engage in conversation. He has an astonishing and sometimes mystifying sense of local, state and national geography. He lives alone in his home of many years, and has some help weekly with appointments, shopping and such. Our aunt Sharon often takes him on day trips around the state to “see” the sights; he often uses that word. He beat severe Covid in its early days–he spent a week in the hospital— and has conquered many other physical setbacks that may have sidelined a less resilient person. He has outlived his wife and both of his sons.
He “sees” more than most of us do.
This afternoon, Gail, Suzanne and I, along with two of our four brothers and many members of our extended families, gathered at Reitha’s home with her family in Wichita. Sharon lives in Wichita as well, and was there with her family.
It was a grand celebration for an amazing man.
Our sister-in-law Joni “showing” him the candles. Gail’s arm is helping too.
February in Kansas could be a beast, or it could be a perfectly beautiful, sunny, calm, 63-degree day. Today was the latter. It was one of the best gifts any of us could ask for.
There was another gift in hiding for me today.
I often feel a strong sense that Mom and Dad are still with us, and today was no different. I have written about the “Dimes From Heaven” they often send us; they saved dimes in a bank, and they frequently place dimes in our paths, sometimes in ways that cannot be explained. Today, as I entered Reitha’s house through the garage, there was a dime wedged in the crack in the concrete. I showed it to her, reminded her of this sign, and she insisted I keep it. Indeed, they were there with us.
Gail will celebrate her 63rd birthday in a relatively quiet fashion on Tuesday, and Don will turn 90 on Wednesday. Don was the star today, but we will celebrate Gail’s birthday in two weeks in our annual “March Forth” trip to Colorado. Stay tuned.
I often wish I had Gail’s indomitable attitude; nothing gets her down for long. I am continually amazed at Don’s curiosity and resilience; he always bounces back, and is always thirsty for more knowledge. Both of them are incredibly strong in their own ways. Perhaps it is the Pisces in both her and Don, as they are known to be boundless, loyal and can relate to most people. I wish I could “see” the world like both of them do.
It’s party time. If a party can be defined by a group of people celebrating an event or occasion, then yes, it is indeed time once again to party.
And by party, I recommend staying within the recommended guidelines that we are all aware of.
I had a little party at my home this weekend. A dear friend since childhood was celebrating her birthday, and I had the privilege of helping her do just that. Shari was traveling through on her way to see her parents in our hometown, so she spent Friday afternoon and evening with us. We even continued the celebration yesterday morning. I will expand on that later.
Birthdays are obvious times to celebrate. Marking another successful trip around the sun should always be a festive occasion. It was for her, and the rest of us as well. Our neighbor was celebrating his birthday as well, so our group of eight serenaded him in his yard with a birthday carol at his front door.
Gail and her 20-year old daughter Lydia were here, too. Lydia had her every-four-month checkup with her endocrinologist in Salina, and she got continued good news regarding the battle she continues to wage–and win–against Type One diabetes. That’s cause for celebration.
Suzanne came out to spend the evening with us as well. If you recall, Suzanne’s encouragement to Lydia when she began her diabetes treatment was this: “Only the coolest girls get to see an endocrinologist.” Another occasion to celebrate is that Suzanne’s recent visit to her endocrinologist in Wichita brought good news as well: almost eight years after her thyroid cancer diagnosis, she remains healthy.
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Living in our strange new COVID world, finding reasons to celebrate any cause large or small is a way to keep looking at the sunny side. Despite all the bad news we are continually hammered with, there is still good news out there. Here’s an example: an elderly, extended family member of ours was dismissed from the hospital back to his home after his battle with COVID. That’s good news, even though the diagnosis was bad news we all naively thought would never strike our family. And, as more bonus good news, other family members who helped take care of him before they knew the diagnosis have tested negative.
And here’s further reason to celebrate with good news about my health: the tick that hitched a ride on my ankle yesterday morning was easily and completely removed. My husband, armed with the tweezers, plucked him out while Gail talked me down from the ledge the tick put me on.
It’s our choice. All day, every day. We can choose to celebrate the positive or magnify the negative. It’s always our choice.
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Mother Nature continues to offer us unlimited reasons to celebrate the beauty in every day. She has carpeted the earth in a lush green with the recent rains, and vibrant green leaves adorn the trees and bushes. Flowers are blooming, and summer is almost here.
Given this generous gift from her, my friend Shari and I decided to accept Mother Nature’s gift, and hike the trails at nearby Wilson Lake. Hiking is something we both enjoy, something we plan to do more of.
Suzanne went home Friday night, and Gail and Lydia stayed overnight with us. As a bonus, a friend of Gail’s since childhood came out for coffee Saturday morning. We all visited for a bit, then Shari and I took off for our hike.
It was a beautiful day, and the state park area around the lake was re-opened, with many other people enjoying the outdoor space as well.
The trails were lush in places,
Rocky and barren in others,
But always beautiful.
We were hungry hikers at the end of the trail, so we savored the made-from-scratch German lunch at a local restaurant aptly named Made From Scratch. I hadn’t sat down for a meal in a restaurant since March 15th, so this was a celebration of sorts for me as well.
Celebrate. Whatever occasion, reason, victory or birthday, and within sanctioned limits in these COVID times, find a way to find the good, and share it in a small group now, and hopefully a larger one later. We all need each other, and we all need to celebrate. I think most of us have realized that in these last few isolated months.
I had a great birthday last week, despite the social isolation imposed upon all of us at this time. I worked a few hours, picked up take-out food, and came home to a quiet evening with my family. Binge-watching our favorite Netflix series was followed by a great movie. It was a nice, peaceful evening. I even had a Zoom happy birthday hour with two dear friends.
Fifty-four is going to be a great year.
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Easter typically falls near my birthday, and Gail, Suzanne and I, along with the rest of our family, typically observe my birthday when we all get together for Easter.
This year was not typical. There was no family get-together, so there was no celebration of my birthday with them this year.
For Gail and Suzanne, however, missing the observation of my birthday was not an option. So, as the rest of the world has turned to online business and social interactions out of necessity, they created a virtual celebration on Facebook. They dug deep in their stacks of family pictures and pictures on their phones from our sister trips, and came up with some treasures. They carefully selected them, cropped them, enhanced some of them, and then they captioned them. It was the next best thing to all of us being together.
If all this is not evidence of true sisterly love, then I don’t know what is.
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The best gift I usually get for my birthday is from Mother Nature. Nearly every year, she makes everything green again, just in time for my birthday. This year, she didn’t disappoint. However, she wrapped it up in white for me this year, and I didn’t like that so much. The white was gone by late morning, and the beautiful green was back.
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I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: age is a gift. If you are healthy and able, there is no reason to complain about age. Age allows us to build insight and wisdom from all our previous experiences. I said this in Gail’s birthday post, and it bears repeating: we get to keep all our previous ages, sifting out what is good about each of them, and letting the rest go. It is our choice. We get to pick and choose what we want to keep, and move forward with it to make the next years even better.
Whenever your next birthday is, happy birthday to you. I hope your celebration is everything you want it to be–up close, or from a distance.
It’s coming! It’s coming! Gail’s birthday is almost here, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Neither could she.
I’m sure Gail will celebrate, and I’m sure it will be epic. This is what happened when she turned 50, so Heaven only knows what 60 will bring.
Gail has started celebrating already. Last week, I introduced you to “Lola,” the new ride she bought herself for her birthday. And, just as we all did as high school seniors, she got her “senior” pictures taken. For real. As in, with a real photographer. The album has yet to be revealed, but here is a teaser of what is to come:
I am carefully selecting a goodie bag of gifts for her, which is always fun for both of us. We won’t deny that we both love to get gifts. Suzanne feels the same way.
But this is not about material gifts. It is about celebrating the gift of life, love, family, age and time.
This is where you come in: Gail has requested a gift from every reader who is up to this task: Please post your age, and why it is a great age. According to all three sisters of The Sister Lode, age is a gift to be celebrated.
Suzanne will be 50 years old in August, and there will be another party, of course.
I will be 54 in April, and even though it’s not a decade marker, I will, of course, celebrate.
I like to remind anyone who complains about their age that age is a gift. It is an insult to The Giver to complain about it. It is appropriate to say thank you. The old adage is really true; there really is only one alternative to aging. While I do believe there is something better waiting for us when we stop aging, this gift of time here on earth is worth celebrating—every year, every day.
I watched one of my favorite authors on a video the other night, and she reminded me of this insight into aging that I had heard before: we don’t lose the ages we have already been, we get to keep all of them. We get to keep all the good, leave the not-so-good behind, and keep building on the wisdom.
For myself, I wouldn’t want to go back to any previous age. I wouldn’t want to lose the wisdom I’ve gained, and I look forward to gaining more.
Now, it’s your turn. I am keeping this post short on purpose, because I want to hear from you. Please post your age and what you like about it either after our Facebook post or on my WordPress website. No cheating, no lying. Only celebrating.
You won’t want to miss next week’s post. I assure you it will be worth the wait.
Today is Easter Sunday, and I want to offer you the warmest Easter well-wishes. The day is almost over as I write, but my hope and prayer for you–and for myself–is that the spirit of Easter may live on every day of the year.
It is fitting that we celebrate Easter in early spring when new life abounds. The grass and trees are green again, and renewal is all around. The great circle of nature begins once again; the promise of warmer days is being fulfilled. Like Easter, you could even consider it a miracle.
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I spent the weekend with family. Yesterday, both Suzanne and I traveled north to the home of one of our brothers who lives near our family farm, where another brother lives. Three of our four brothers were there; Gail was in Denver where her college-age son was playing volleyball for his school’s men’s club. Our gatherings are always a bit more subdued without Gail, but, alas, she will be in our small city next weekend.
Today–Sunday–I traveled south to celebrate with my husband’s family. More food and festivities followed, and family ties were celebrated.
I prepared and proffered deviled eggs today; yesterday I brought Mom’s famous potato dish to our family gathering. As I stood by the kitchen sink peeling potatoes, I thought about Mom, and the thousands of potatoes she peeled for our daily meat-and-potatoes meals on the farm. Thousands of potatoes, peeled as an offering of love for her family. The more I peeled, the more I thought about her. The more I thought about her, the more I felt her there, and it was sweet-bitter. She wouldn’t be joining us physically for Easter, but she would indeed be there.
And she was. So was Dad. Whenever we are together, they are there.
It’s that simple. It only takes potatoes and a little bit of tuning in.
The renewal miracles of Easter and nature are always there for us if we simply tune in.
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I had a great birthday this past week. It, too, was simple. Good food, family and friends; even a little bit of cake on my face–thanks to Suzanne and our friend Tanya.
Thanks to all who helped me celebrate, and for all the well-wishes. Please be sure to celebrate your next birthday, no matter how simple your celebration is.
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I’m spending the rest of Easter Sunday simply, which means I am keeping this post short. I didn’t even post all three pictures at the beginning from our three Thanksgiving celebrations since the blog started; I only posted one.
Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, less than 500 words is better than my typical 2,000-plus. Sometimes, something as mundane as peeling potatoes can bring unexpected joy, if we are open to it.
And sometimes, the most beautiful pictures taken are of the scenery we may overlook at first, like I did with this one until Suzanne pointed it out from our brother’s yard.
My next six weeks are filled with weekend activities, and my posts may be hit-and-miss. As always, I appreciate all of you who take the time to read my blog posts.
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The Sister Lode 