Birthdays are a Blessing

In two days I will be 39 years old. I will be celebrating the very last year in my 30's. I have been thinking about it a lot lately. I LOVE birthdays and I especially love mine! I have had many friends and aquaintences and even my very own hubby turn 40 this past year. Our dad will be 75 in two weeks. I never realized how many people do not like their birthdays until recently. I mean they really dread them and even get sad and depressed with the thought of turning another year older. 

I understand that change is a little nerve racking and that getting older takes some getting used to but it is inevitable. The alternative to growing older is death so how come so many people are miserable on their birthdays? I really do not understand it. I know that we have not all experienced the same life lessons but to me it is sad not to like your own birthday. God has blessed you with another year of life. THAT my friends is something to celebrate!!! There are people all over the world praying and fighting to live one more year, three more months, to have two more breaths.

Society makes us think we should be young forever. Society makes us think that age is not a good thing. However, with age comes experience, knowledge, lessons learned, great friendships, stronger loves, and I think that is an awesomeness.

I can remember like it was yesterday sitting on the doctors table with my legs hanging off the edge. I had on shorts because it was June (June 1987) I remember being anxious and squirmy and the paper beneath me being so noisy. The doctor came in and sat on his swiveling stool and rolled himself right up to me, put both of his hands on my knees and looked at me so concerned and he said exactly this "Libby, we are going to do everything in our power to get you well enough to graduate highschool, attend college and  have a family of your own."  Those words back then didn't seem as serious to me as an almost 15 year old girl as they do now. Those words ring in my ears numerous times throughout every year of my life.

I went through two 13 hour surgeries and woke up with what looked like half a face. I had to use a mirror to learn how to eat correctly again. I was so terrified by what I looked like I had my parents cover all the mirrors with towels and sheets. I had such strong chemo put inside my veins that when the bag had a hole in it, it burned a hole right through my nurses white coat. I lost all my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. At my lowest point I was 5'9 and weighed 86 pounds.  I have lived off a ventilator, thrown up so many times that my gums swelled up so much that you could not even see I had teeth. I even had to use bed pans and have my mom wipe my butt like I was a baby again. I was supposed to be dating!!!! I know what it feels like to be ok with dying because living is just too difficult. I fought and fought and prayed and fought and by golly I graduated high school, I got a college degree, I have a family of my own and now I am about to turn 39 years old. I looked death straight in the face (and that is another awesome story that maybe I can bring myself to share one day). Birthdays to me are a VICTORY! I thank God so much for every single one of my birthdays and I can promise you that even when I am turning 50 and 60 and 70 I am going to thank the good Lord that he blessed me with years. Years are a gift.....Birthdays are a gift.....Age is a gift! Remember that the next time your birthday rolls around because the alternative is to be six foot underground. Be thankful.

TWO MORE DAYS!!!! 

God Gives Us Hope When There Seems To Be None ~ Lib