Well, today was a big day.  I was born February 17, 1963...which makes this, yeah, you got it...the BIG FIVE-OH day.  Wow.  I can't believe I'm fifty...seems like just a short while ago, I was stressed out about turning forty.

The AARP card application arrived last week (so I guess I can join "the Huh-man" Bruce's group now, huh?--the one for older gentlemen?  I think I've met the requirements).  This is a milestone day---but it's a milestone in a race that I'm not in too big of a hurry to end.  To put it flatly, my life is wonderful and beautiful in SO many important ways.  Oh, sure, I've got my challenges---but in celebrating today's "milestone event", I've decided to actually CELEBRATE my fifty years by celebrating the good things and counting the blessings in my life.

I'm married to an awesome, wonderful woman---and she has been putting up with me ever since I was 19 (we dated for three and a half years).  My LORD, I love her--and I hit the jackpot when I married her.  I mean NOBODY else would have had me, much less put up with me this long.  Yet she treats me like a king---makes me want to treat her like a queen...I guess it just works that way.

I'm blessed in that I actually enjoy my job.  I teach Spanish.  I also translate.  I found my niche, and love having a job I can feel good about in a field in which I excelled.

Most importantly, I want to celebrate my life in Christ.  I had a profound religious conversion when I was 13 years old...and basically never looked back.  For some people, their faith is a part of their life.  For us, our faith IS our life---and everything else we do is on the side.  The results speak for themselves--we live a happy, fulfilled life.  Crisis moments arise, but so does the keeping power of God--after all, he DID say "Lo, I am with you always" didn't he?  And He is.

But turning fifty is a bit of a wake-up call.  Whatever I'm going to do with the rest of my life, I need to DO---because, quite literally, Today Really IS the first day of the rest of my life.