Today, I
turn 56 years old. I shake my head and
wonder how it can be that my life is advancing so quickly. Last year, turning 55 felt shocking as it
seemed like I had just turned 50 and that meant that I would be 60 before I
knew it. So how have I changed in the
past year?
Slowing the pace of the day – Although
the weeks and months continue to fly by at a rapid pace, I find pleasure and
joy in the average moments of each day.
Whether it is a conversation with my husband, something my son tells me,
a few minutes catching up with a friend or time to ponder a prayer from the
mass or office, I find myself appreciating these everyday encounters. And while I still enjoy looking forward to
celebration of big holidays and vacations, I am finding more joy in daily life.
Wanting less and feeling like I have more –
This past year has brought to me an urgency to simplify my life by divesting
myself of so much of the “stuff” that we have accumulated. Even before we made the decision to move, I
wanted to sell the large house we own and find a smaller place to live. That will now happen as we make the move to
Missouri in 2015. Now, I am finding that
I want to fill that empty guest room. We
have the space, so how can we share the space with others?
Accepting the inevitability of aging –
Rather than aggressively combating the aging process, I’m happy to find peace
in it. I desire to take better care of
my body and to be active. That occasional
nagging in my knee or ache in my hands helps to remind me that this is not my
true home.
Carpe Diem – Finding new adventures and
taking risks is a surprising twist in this middle aged life. I expected things to be fairly routine and
perhaps boring in my 50s. Instead, I
find that God has me filling my brain with philosophy and theology that I
missed in my formal education. He has me
stretching out my hands in ways that I would not have imagined a few years
ago. Seizing the day is the routine activity!
In my
56th year, I have found peace and growth, both due to my increased love
for God. Through His sacraments,
especially Eucharist and Confession, I find that the Holy Spirit is able to
guide me and that I am more willing to follow His precepts. Pope Francis
recently remarked that the Sacraments are not magic, but frequent reception of
communion and use of reconciliation has incrementally changed me into a woman
who cannot live without God.
What
more could I asked on my 56th birthday?
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