My 50th birthday “cake”.

Well, this week marks an important date in history…..

Half a century ago, a wonderful little girl was born…..me!!! 😉

It’s never really bothered me too much to get older.

Thirty was absolutely no problem!

At forty, I still wasn’t bothered, but I did note that it felt weird to remember clearly when my mother turned the same age.

But FIFTY???

*****THE BIG 5 – 0 !!!*****

I’ve been thinking of how to celebrate this momentous occasion for awhile now.  My husband turned fifty this past January, so it’s already been on my mind for some time. These are some of the options I decided against:

1. Crying and flipping out over being a half century old.
2. Drowning my sorrows in fifty pounds of cake and ice-cream (although that one was tempting; and I will indulge in at least a little!)
3. Attempting to blow out fifty birthday candles on my cake (before someone calls the fire department).
4. Running away from home (to “find” myself).
5. Doing fifty push-ups (although my Pilates workouts have helped me get closer to this one; OK, not close, but at least I can do a few now), or running fifty miles.

After all that contemplating, I decided that the best way to celebrate fifty years of life is ….. to CELEBRATE!

And what better way to celebrate than to think about the things for which I am thankful?

So for my 50th birthday, here are “a few” things I’m thankful for (some serious; some silly), in no particular order.

50 Things I’m Thankful For On my 50th Birthday:

1. my good life
2. health & wellness
3. hot coffee in the morning (here’s my favourite; see point # 48)
4. the warmth and light of summer
5. a wonderful, faithful, loving, fun, handy husband
6. my thoughtful and clever oldest son
7. my sensitive and creative youngest son
8. our cute and slightly mischievous cat, Chester
9. our skittish but affectionate cat, Buster
10. a very nice home
11. my godly and creative mother
12. my silly but wise father
13. a sister who is a best friend (& her dear family)
14. a grand-mother who is healthy for her age of 98, who is the remaining one of two great-grandmothers that my sons have had the privilege to know
15. precious memories of years with my other grandmother (who passed away this past summer at the age of 93)
16. two very different, yet equally special grandfathers (who have both left this life many years ago)
17. ice-cream (a single food that solves so many of life’s problems!)
18. growing up on two acres in the country
19. a physically demanding, yet therapeutic summer job (on the farm)
20. picking up our fresh farm shares from June to October (CSA)
21. pleasant surprises in the mail
22. cold-brewed iced coffee (the other temperature for my favorite drink)
23. watching sci-fi movies, old television series, and Lord of the Rings with our sons
24. having experienced the best homemade dill pickles and fruit pies (in the whole world; and I’m not biased!), made by my grandmother
25. the grace of God (and mercies that are new every morning!)
26. living beside grandparents for the first part of my life
27. planting my new plants and herbs
28. enjoying the hummingbirds who come to eat and visit our home in the warm weather
29. a thriving, exciting, friendly, balanced, fun church
30. the opportunity to minister on our worship team (at church)
31. my online Pilates instructor (Robin Long of The Balanced Life), workouts, and community (the Sisterhood)
32. Jesus’ incomparable gift of forgiveness and eternal life
33. extended family who love and serve God and love each other
34. Downton Abbey (first tv show I watched just for me)
35. the opportunity to attend Bible college at Elim Bible Institute
36. having a good relationship my aunts, uncles and cousins
37. the Bible (my road-map for life) – here‘s a nice one 🙂
38. my girlfriends (you know who you are!)
39. doing something creative
40. USA – a great country in which to live and have my family <3
41. photography, photos, and scrapbooking
42. sitting in the warm sun on my front porch watching nature (with a coffee)
43. my long, quiet dead-end street
44. nice neighbors
45. connecting with friends and loved ones on Facebook
46. relaxing with a good novel
47. the changing of the seasons
48. the opportunity to be born in Canada, but living in New England
49. baking and eating it
50. fruit tarts (better than cake!)

I hope you enjoyed my list and found it at least a little inspiring or entertaining.

Now I’m off for some leftover Chinese food and a nice piece of fruit tart. 🙂

*****