Celebrating My 50th Birthday

This past weekend, I celebrated my 50^th birthday. You know you never know exactly what to expect for such an occasion. My daughter, who along with her husband and son lives with me and my bride, kept asking me what I wanted for my big day. I kept putting her off by telling her that it should be her decision, not mine. All along I had in my mind things that I’ve seen at other 50^th birthday parties such as black streamers, black balloons, or even black flowers as well as jokes about incontinence along with other things I won’t mention. My daughter spent the day baking a cake and cooking while my son-in-law cleaned the house and I sat watching the Ryder Cup and some of the football games I was interested in. I think my son-in-law cleaned because he hates golf and there was nothing really else to do on a rainy day. No matter what the reason behind his cleaning, it sure was nice having them do so much around the house while Lisa and I just sat around enjoying the sights and the smells.

Back to the day of my birthday celebration…I somewhat expected some sort of a surprise by having people invited over or my daughter insisting I leave for a while or something, but those things never happened. But the evening was not over. My son and his new bride came over for dinner and gave me along with Lisa a gift. (Lisa’s birthday is just a couple of weeks later than mine.) They also gave Danielle a gift and told us to open them at the same time. Now I am not being very observant, as I want to get along with opening my cards from every one else. Danielle is the one that is really reading the gift, which was a very nice picture book of Caleb and Lindsey’s life together. That is where the BIG surprise was. For the second year in a row, my birthday was celebrated by announcing a grandbaby on the way!!! This baby is due around Mother’s Day of 2013. Talk about mixed emotions. Here I was all geared up for the attention to be focused on me, which I have to admit that I can be childish when it comes to birthdays and special occasions. I really like to be the center of attention on those certain days. (Some might argue that is every day though.) The attention is not on my 50^th birthday, but on the fact that my daughter-in-law is carrying my 2^nd grandbaby. Then comes the fact that the young couple has only been married for two months and they just started trying to get things going together with work and so forth. They are still trying to find out exactly what God wants them to do. Let me tell you, I know exactly how my parents felt when we told them we were pregnant with Danielle. There was a wave of excitement long with a flood of questions. Today as I sit here writing, I am truly focusing on the excitement and not the questions.

My family is growing, not just numerically, but also spiritually as both of my children are striving to serve the Lord in their lives. Now they are serving the Lord by being parents. I have the responsibility to continue to live my life as an example to my children, their spouses, as well as their children so that our family represents a Godly family and is a beacon for all to witness God’s love and faithfulness as we live our lives for Him.

The first 50 years has been a challenge…the next how ever many years God gives me will be even more of a challenge as God continues to bless me with more responsibilities.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (NASB)
⁴ “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
⁵ “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
⁶ “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
⁷ “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.