In the past, my birthday month has been the time to celebrate the passing of another year — sometimes with gratitude and sometimes with dread. The aging process is indeed, a consideration.
Sometimes I have saved for a special treat or bought a new outfit. One year, I treated myself to a mani/pedi. Another year, to a massage. One year, I splurged on too many food treats which meant I spent a great deal of November doing detox. Lesson learned.
This year, I have decided to be more reflective and do something a bit different. Instead of a focus totally on giving myself something, I want to offer a bit of myself. My medium of choice is to post daily gratitudes — some piece of who I am and why I am grateful. I’ll post these on my Facebook site, so you can follow me there.
One of the main posts I plan to write is on my actual birth date. Spoiler alert: to thank my mother for life itself. For carrying me all those months. Dealing with swollen ankles, morning sickness, backaches, and the acute pain of labor during a time period when pain killers were not given for birthings.
One year, on my actual birth date, I sent my mother a thank you card. Then called her in gratitude. She was quite surprised and I think— delighted. Now, of course, I cannot call her, but I can ask God to interrupt a bit of her heaven’s activities to remind her I’m thinking about her.
I’ll also be journaling about each of my birthday month gratitudes, because well—that’s what I do. Reflect, journal, write. Repeat.
And perhaps some of those journal entries will become new blog posts. We will see. The beauty of words is that we never know where they will go or in what context they will show up.
The hope of a birthday month is to examine each day with joy and offer myself to the world: to love God and love others.
But also to love myself and be all God created me to be. During the Octobers of life and every month before and after.
©2023 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
Living through a birthday month is a reminder to pay attention to each day. Day by Day: Hope for Senior Wisdom.
Dearest Rebecca, May you have the happiest birthday ever this month! Thank you for the Sympathy card. It is comforting. Love, Judy
Thank you !
Happy Birthday, Rebecca! ‘Daily Gratitudes’ – Great idea
Thank you!
Happy Birthday to you this month! I love this idea.
Thank you!
Hi RJ. Things have been pretty rough I had some complications and had to lay flat for four days which is a real test of faith. I have lots of repentance to do but I finally made it through to the place where I can appreciate his blessings and have gratitude. My friend Linda who you know drove up from Tulsa Thursday when it was determined that I had complications and would have to lie on my back- total complete bed rest, She couldn’t stand it so she drove up to be pmy personal nurse. I got home yesterday and she is with me until tomorrow. How do I like thank my Lord for that gift. My husband as with many men are good at running out to get new but the hands-on is hard for him. He gets antsy easily so it’s hard to say whether it was a better blessing for me or for Doug but I thank my Lord witj an aching heart for how good he is. I am anxious to get through this and be my old self. For now I have to be patient and tolerant for this pain and recognize every small improvement. God is good. I hope he doesn’t hold it against me when I was beginning to lose faith in the darkest nights I had.
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Oh, Evie – I’m so sorry for these complications! But how wonderful that Linda could be there for you. Prayers for a complete recovery and no more pain. FYI – God NEVER holds it against us when we struggle or seem to lose faith. After all, even his son struggled in the Garden.