Yesterday was my birthday. My birthday folder (electronic) has 128 items in it. Facebook says 106 friends sent birthday greetings. I received a few cards by snail mail, and a few more by email. I received a number of personal greetings–real words spoken by a real person, either in person or by telephone (no greetings via Skype this year, but just wait). The first electronic greeting came on Monday. (Those who waited until 12:01 A.M. yesterday had no chance of being first.) With the exception of the first little church I preached in over 40 years ago, I received greetings from persons representing every phase of my adult life and ministry. Greetings came from at least 10 different countries.
Birthday reflections–things I learned or was reminded of yesterday, and things I thought about yesterday, in no particular order.
- We live in a rapidly changing world
I am loved
Birthdays are a good time to look forward (a lesson gleaned from the greeting that wished me the best in the coming year)
My life has made some difference to a few folks in a few places across the years
Getting older is not all bad
Getting older is natural
Getting older is an evidence of God’s blessings
My friends write some really neat greetings
My friends write in English and in Spanish
God is not just good–he is really, really good
Life is to be lived in the present, not in the past nor in the future
Families are a special blessing from God