My birthday is tomorrow. I started celebrating yesterday.

My philosophy about birthdays is this: The older I get, the longer I get to celebrate. It works for me. So this year I started early.

Sweet William took me to get my birthday present, two pots of lovely yellow knock-out roses. They remind me of a primrose blossom. I have a spot picked out in the garden that will be just right for them.

Next was the grocery where I had a birthday epiphany. Ice Cream. Let the celebration begin! I found peanut-butter-chocolate on sale and headed to the cookie isle for a generic Nutter Butter cookie. After lunch, Sweet William crushed the cookies and mixed the ice cream with them – I love that man – and we had our own version of a Blizzard.

This morning I baked biscuits, from my mother’s recipe, and topped them with jam made by a friend. I think of my mother in the days leading up to my birthday. I miss her especially when the day arrives. She taught me to cook and cook well. And for that Sweet William is very thankful.

Today I made a Plum Cake, pulling the recipe from my stash of those tried and true. Everyone should have a birthday cake, even if she has to make it herself.

Tomorrow, we will visit a church where a younger friend is a member. She is scheduled to sing in the service, and I love her and her voice. Then we plan to visit a young man in rehab who needs to know he is loved and that prayers are being lifted heavenward for him. No agenda. No message to give. We simply want to show we care.

I’m trying to figure out being this age. It’s taken a lot of years to get here. My experiences are showing on my face, fine lines deepening more than I like. My silver hair seems to be even lighter and a bit thinner. I have aches and pains regularly and especially after a day in the gardens.

I am changing eyeglass prescription more frequently, and the trifocals make me squint sometimes, just trying to find a place of clarity. My hearing is still good and my mind is clear, thank the Lord.

My figure is fuller than it used to be and in odd places. And that information about gravity pulling everything down? It’s a real thing.

I can’t put in the same hours of work I did a decade ago. That’s frustrating. I’m not as busy I as I used to be. I’m OK with that.

I wish I had kept a journal more consistently when I was younger. Those events I thought I would remember easily? I don’t. When I read old journals I am surprised at what I’ve forgotten.

Life is still sweet. I appreciate the simple and the small. Friendships are deep, us having been through years of trials and loss, blessing and triumphs together. New relationships are exciting now that I am more comfortable with who I am. I can be myself, and I don’t have to strive to impress.

I’ve learned to be a better listener without trying to fix the problem.

I’ve found God to be trustworthy through these years. I do not understand Him or His ways, and I’m coming to accept that more. He is beyond comprehension. I still wonder why He loves me like He does, and how His grace can be so inexhaustible.

I still treasure the Bible and believe it to be true. In an ever-changing world of science, technology,  medicine, philosophy, and the latest idea, the words of Scripture are reliable. They speak a steadfast truth in a world that constantly wants to change the meaning of truth.

I’ve never wanted to live my life over. Why would I want to go through all that again? We often wish we knew “back then” what we know now. Wouldn’t that be a lot simpler? But I think we only get the wisdom to understand as we live through this life. I’ve learned through the living.

If I had the chance, what would I say to my younger self, the one who was in her twenties, thought she knew most of the answers and didn’t have a clue?

• Slow down and smell the roses. Pay attention to the little things.
• Don’t worry about the dust on the furniture. It is not a life and death issue.
• Invite people over more without cleaning the house first.
• Play with children and welcome them into your life. They show us how to live in the moment.
• Laugh a lot. Sing out loud. Move to the rhythm.
• Get a good night’s sleep. It is healing to your body.
• Put those photographs in good albums that won’t fade the memories.
• Slow dance with your husband.
• Listen well to your friends and family and neighbors and anyone who needs an ear.
• Save some money and spend some money. Plan for the future because it is coming.
• Buy quality not just what is on sale. It will last longer.
• Memorize Scripture while the brain is young. Memorize poetry too.
• Let go of hurts and don’t hold grudges. Forgive and get over it.
• Don’t worry about what other people are thinking of you. They aren’t. They are thinking about themselves.
• Take good care of your skin. It’s got to last a long time.
• Disregard the size of your dress or jeans and what the scale reports. They’re only numbers and not the value of your life.
• Respect yourself and respect others. Speak up for yourself when necessary.
• Slow down when you eat and enjoy the flavors.
• Pay no heed to your critics. Instead, hear the people who care about you.
• Pay attention to your elders. They have been where you are.
• Stay in church. There are people there who need you. You need them too.
• Be patient with yourself and others. Pray for patience if you must. It does not bring more tribulation as you may have heard.
• Don’t whine. It is not attractive.
• Smile a lot. It brightens the face and makes it more beautiful.
• Don’t let the rich and famous be your role models. Some of them are not doing so well themselves.
• Love yourself, the unique gift you are to humanity. Explore your talents and enrich them however you can. Then use them to bless the world.
• Love others well and freely without expectations. Expectations kill relationships.
• Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. You are one of a kind, made in the image of your Creator who makes no mistakes.
• Be thankful. Always. In all circumstances. Everything is working for your good.

Life is a precious gift. The years mount up and I wonder how many birthdays I’ll have to celebrate. But that is not my concern. My God is in control of that, and I rest in His divine plan.

Tomorrow I will be 68 years young. I feel every bit of it. I have lived it, laughed in it, cried through it. I have been loved greatly and have learned to love in return.  I have experienced the miracle of salvation and felt the ocean of grace all around me.

I don’t know what my future will look like. I trust my Father with that. He’s been looking after me all these years, and He will continue to keep His watchful eye on me.

I do believe the best is yet to be.

THE RECIPES

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Plum Cake

This is a simple cake with a spicy flavor. It is very moist and looks lovely baked in a bundt pan setting on a footed cake plate.

• 1 cup of oil – or for richness use butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 small jars of plum baby food. (I’m having trouble finding plum baby food these days, so a dark fruit substitutes well.)

Combine oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time.

Mix flour and spices together. Add to oil/egg mixture and combine well.

Add baby food and continue to mix.

Pour into a greased and floured bundt or tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour.

ICING

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Dash of salt
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine all and pour onto warm cake, poking a few holes in it to allow the flavor to infuse the cake.

ENJOY!