We’ve been invited to a party tonight to celebrate a friend’s fiftieth birthday. Fifty seems like one of those milestone years when you should celebrate the fact that you have lived half a century.
This event, of course, has caused me to remember my own fiftieth birthday. It was a wonderful celebration. My life was near perfect and I assumed it would always be as it was that day. There was ice cream and cake after church on Wednesday night. My church family was a loving and supportive group. I could never imagine then that this group would not always be loving and supportive and I would one day feel compelled to leave them. My mother came from California. She met her great-grandchildren and seemed so happy. I did not realize that dementia would soon overtake her and she would never be able to come again. We had lobster for dinner at my daughter’s home. Mom got so excited because she had never eaten lobster. She had to be shown how to get to the meat. When she understood she exclaimed. “Why, it’s just like shelling pecans!” It was a happy moment. My gift from the children was group portrait of all my children and grandchildren. I loved that picture. In the picture there are three grandchildren. We now have a total of eight grandchildren. They are each a blessing. My daughter and her husband (standing in the back row) had three beautiful children before he decided that marriage was no longer fun and moved on to other places. I had not expected that loss. Our foster son (standing in back on the left) was a high school senior and doing well. He has disappeared from our lives and remains only in our memory. I miss him. The other picture is of me with my mother and my husband that day.
That birthday was sixteen years ago. Today life is good. My sweet husband continues to love me. Children and grandchildren bless me. I have a loving and supportive church family.
I guess the moral of my fiftieth birthday is to live in the moment and enjoy the blessings each day brings. Life will change.
5 comments:
What a great family photo!
I don't think I'll have any grandchildren when I turn 50.
Really lovely pictures...and family as well. I am sorry for the loss of your son...two of our children left our lives by choice as well...one eventually returned. Steve's oldest daughter was last seen in 1997. She has not been seen or heard from since then. For my fiftieth my youngest son and his future wife put a huge banner on the front of the house announcing the event...so all of the neighbors and every stranger would know!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful family photos. To be truthful, I am a wee bit envious because my 50th birthday passed quietly so that I have no lovely memories of that day to share. I hope your friend's celebration was a memory-making one.
Even thogh I was incarcerated on my 50th birthday,I still marked it as a milestone.
Those are lovely pictures mom.
Thanks for sharing with us.
As you help me to often do, I feel compelled to remember the good things in my life because if allowed, the bad moments could take over if we let them. And it takes bad moments to make the good ones so sweet.
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