#SOL17

Life goes on…whether you  choose to move on and take a chance on the unknown, or stay behind, locked in the past, and thinking of what could have been. ~ Unknown

Tomorrow my beautiful daughter-in-law turns 30. I remember a conversation we had about a month ago . Krysten couldn’t believe she was turning 30.  How could that be?  Afterall, she can remember her dad’s surprise 30th birthday party like it was yesterday! I reassured her that your 30s were the best, and I believe that I was being sincere at the time.

I loved my thirties. I got married young (21) and had kids right away.  So by the time I hit thirty my kids were in both in school at least part time.  I went back to teaching after a three year hiatus, and we moved to our current home. These things brought new adventures and new friends that I still treasure.  I had a resurgence in my spiritual life and grew as a person by leaps and bounds.

I loved my forties.  I continued to grow both personally and professionally.  This decade saw me become a NWP Fellow which was a life-changing event.  This is the decade that I began to trust myself more.  My kids were in high school, and life became a series of marching band competitions, first boyfriends/girlfriends, laughter and tears, driver’s licenses and prom,  SAT scores and selecting colleges.  How could my children have grown into these fabulous young adults ready to embark on their own journeys?  Where had the time gone?

I love my fifties.  Now, today I say that a bit sarcastically, since this decade has seen my body age – two arthritic knees that need replacing among a laundry list of other annoying ailments.  Yet, looking back, I would not want to go back to another time.  This decade broadened our family with the addition of a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law both of whom I love not just because of who they are, but because who my son and daughter are with them.  Their love has made me a Nona – a grandmom.  I thought I loved my own children, but that pales in comparison to how much I love my three grandchildren!

These are the best days of your life.  All of them.  Whichever ones you are experiencing at the moment. But they can only be the best days if you believe they are.  I have learned many lessons in my lifetime and continue to learn through the ups and downs of life that come my way. If you are not thankful for each and every day and the lessons that it brings, then you will continue to wait for “tomorrow” or “the next best thing” and miss the miracle that is today.

Happy Saturday!