It is hard for me to admit that, as of today, I am 60 years old. I crossed the threshold of 40 and 50 without too much thought and angst, but turning 60 has my mind spinning. I do not feel old, but 60 years is a lot of years! I am so thankful for 37 years of beautiful marriage! I still grieve the loss of a precious daughter to cancer.  My two amazing, strong sons inspire me!

One does not make it 60 years without intense experiences of joy and sorrow, a few achievements and a few more failures, and many lessons learned the hard way. So what have I learned over these 60 years?

• Life is more difficult than I thought it would be when I was 30 – When I was 30 years old I had a vision of my future. The vision entailed a constant trajectory toward success and meaning and happiness. The road has been much bumpier than I ever imagined, resembling more of a roller coaster than a straight upward-sloping line. In that bumpiness, though, life has proved richer than I ever imagined.
• Suffering is really hard – Along the way, I knew that the day would come when I would encounter suffering. I never imagined that the suffering would be so excruciatingly painful. My heart has been broken…and enlarged. Through suffering, I have gained clarity about what is important. Through suffering I have grown in compassion for others who are also suffer terribly.
• We all desperately need grace – I am less impressed with myself than I used to be. I need grace. I need grace from God and I need grace from those closest to me because I fail often. As I often receive grace, I want to be a person who gives grace generously to all those around me. I know that the world would be a much better place if grace led the way.
• Staying as healthy as I can is worth my effort, energy, and priority– I am bearing the fruit, for good and bad, of how I have taken care of my body over these 60 years.  I will continue to bear the fruit of how I take care of my body in the years to come. Healthy living is a worthy priority!
• Every day is an opportunity to grow and learn – I have so much more to learn! Somehow, I thought that after 60 years I would know a lot more than I do. The positive side of this is that I have so much still to learn and love learning more than I ever have. What a joy it is to always be learning! I have learned from my parents, ages 93 and 92, that we never stop learning and growing.
• I am so grateful to God and I am grateful for sweet people who have loved me – In spite of all the hardship and intense pain, I am so grateful to God in the depths of my heart for the life He has given me. I am forever grateful for the love, support, and encouragement over all these years of my family and closest friends. I could never say thank you enough!

I am now in my 60’s and I believe that good is ahead of me because God is good. When darker days come, I will persevere because I know that I believe in a God who turned the darkest day, the death of His Son, into brightest glory.