Happy Birthday
Grateful! The first word that comes to my mind on this day is Grateful! Grateful for the gift of life. None it is said are given to know the day or hour of our death, and so just to have lived this long and to have seen the fabulous technical, medical, and intellectual progress this world has made in my lifetime, gives me a feeling of joy in our collective accomplishments. Grateful to have been given enough time to realize that courage, loyalty, generosity, and love, are the real important things in life.
I watched my Dad die at the age of 61, my uncles in their 60s and 70s. Almost ALL of my "friends" are dead of Agent Orange or Cancer or just stupid behavior. I often wondered how old I would get and asked God to give me long life so that I could finally get my life together! In my late 20s I met my sweet Vera, and it was as if God had said, "Now I set you on the right path".
Today I become an octogenarian! Hah! I don't even know what that is supposed to mean. I feel the same as I did in my 20s. Crazy as it sounds I feel as though I could still play football and ski my pants off. Of course my body tells me differently, especially when I have to get down on the ground and then get up. OOF! I am grateful for Aqua Aerobics and walking to keep me moving. I am grateful for my hobby/passion, Ceramics. Making things out of dirt has open the doors to friendships, travel, mental growth, and a general direction for life. I have my own studio in my home, including a slab roller, a new kiln, and a fine new potters wheel. I teach seniors how to make pretty things and watch many of them grow with their interests.
The future is bright with our children and grandchildren leading the way. It is wonderful to think how we can be of help to them in the future. If I was asked to give advice at this time it would be, "If you want to be a leader, get moving" and, "Never slow down, something may just catch up with you", and finally, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got".
