This year I am celebrating one of those special birthdays that end in “0” and I have decided to embrace it to the fullest. Instead of dreading the arrival of a new decade (and a new number) of life, I am going to be filled with gratitude. My longtime mantra has always been that “life is about the celebrations” and so this year I am going to be all about the “party” and sharing this milestone birthday by making milestone memories with those I love.
A few weeks ago my daughter surprised me with a trip to Vegas and seeing Carrie Underwood live for my big milestone birthday! She planned a ladies spa day for us and made all of our dinner reservations. This was an epic trip for so many reasons and the first “girl trip” we have been on in almost twenty years! What I came to realize on that getaway is that age is totally not a number on the birthday cake, it is not a category, and it is not what defines who we are and how we live and connect with others. Age IS a state of mind and how we relate to our ourselves, our friends and family, and our world. My daughter and I power-walked as we shopped and dined on “the strip” that weekend in Vegas. We tracked ourselves sprinting over 7 miles one day and we had so much fun being carefree and escaping all expectations of our busy lives back at home to just live in the moment. What I discovered on that trip was a new zest for life, deep gratitude for our dear ones who share our milestone moments, and a greater awareness for the importance of my own personal autonomy in my relationship with the concept of age.
In reality, I feel like I blinked and here all of a sudden I find myself another ten years older (hopefully, also wiser!) wondering how did that happen so fast? On my last decade birthday we had just become grandparents for the first time and our second grandbaby was already on the way! What a thrill to become a grandmother and all the many joys that new role holds! I was over the moon to hold our little grands for the first time. Watching our son become a new Dad filled my Momma heart to the very top! Fast forward several months and our oldest daughter became a Mom for the first time, and we welcomed our second little grand, another precious bundle of pink! Seeing our adult kids hold their new babies connects those strings in our Momma hearts from when we became a Mom–to this new chapter of life as a grandmother. As the last decade has unfolded, the Heavens have opened up and started raining down little grands, one after another! And now there are nine! YES, nine! Our second daughter is the busy Mom of 4 precious littles, and watching her reminds me quickly of our life when I was chasing our 4 children and the beautiful chaos that goes with that! Our son is now the world’s best “girl Dad” with 3 darling daughters and our oldest daughter has the cutest Irish twins who keep her hopping!
The past decade has truly been all about welcoming new grandbabies and relishing in a new role as an “Omi”—my Grandma name (a German term of endearment for Grandmother). My nine grandbabies own A LOT of real estate in my heart, and I have to confess I had no foggy clue this grandma “thing” would be this much fun, this much joy, and would bring out the kid in me again! It is absolutely “the cherry on top!!”
My actual birthday was in March, and since finding sunshine and a warm beach when you have a winter birthday is a challenge, I decided to make a plan to turn the big “7-0” some place other than cold Texas. So, I planned my birthday getaway with two couples, both longtime friends of ours. The six of us flew to the Bahamas for a several day vacay to escape winter and all things chilly. It was the perfect way to usher in a new decade and begin this new chapter! We made the most of our few days together and our friends spoiled me with a girls spa day and a beach party on my actual birthday—complete with mimosas and lunch. I felt so honored by our dear friends who have also walked through many of life’s storms with us. This past year has been especially challenging with my husband’s health issues, and so to be able to celebrate my milestone birthday with our dear family and friends this year is something I am not taking for granted and am embracing fully. Every single day is a glorious gift for tomorrow is promised to no one.
I thank God for the gift of another decade birthday and the opportunity to make new memories with my tribe of dear ones. In the end, the love we have given away to others is what will have an impact long after we are gone. What will your legacy be? I know I want mine to be that I lived large—I loved and celebrated BIG, and was a force for good always!
Blessings, Love, and Light,
Deborah
