THEY SAY IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!

Today is my 53rd birthday. It’s a day to celebrate another year that God has given me to do his work in the world. People who have lived through life-threatening situations like car accidents or cancer often report discovering a renewed meaning and passion for life. Some who have been told they have only a year more to live have discovered the same thing.

So…if you suddenly had another year added to your life, what would you do with it? What difference would it make to your family, to the work you do, to the world?

I thought of at least one thing I would want to do with an extra year: I would want to spend time with my grandchildren. That, in turn, implies two things to me.

1. I will have to live long enough to see them! My mother lived for seven months after our first child was born. My father didn't live to see any of his grandchildren. My wife Holly and I were about as old as my own parents when we got married, so if I want to be around to see my grand children, I’ll want to eat, exercise and live in a way that helps sustain my own life. I'll also want to help my children to do the same thing! Wanting to be around to see my grandchildren is a good incentive to do both.

2. I will want to nurture my relationships with my children. No one can guarantee where their children will wind up, and thus how often we might be able to see our grandchildren, but at the very least I ought to be nurturing my relationship with my children, so I have a reasonable chance of being on good terms with them when they grow to be adults and have families of their own. That also probably means that I’ll want to maintain a good relationship with their mother, as she is bound to have an impact on how I relate to my kids and grandkids now and in the future. Practicing saying “I love you,” learning how to listen and communicate effectively, and refraining from abuse and verbal put-downs can go a long way toward establishing the kind of relationship with my children that will make it more likely that my goal of hanging out with my grandchildren an extra year (or two) will be achieved.

Hmm…working on just those two things would make for a pretty good start to the extra year that God has given me to live on this earth, if I do say so myself!

Blessings,
John