7 Thoughts about my 70th Birthday

August 13th, 1956. My Birthday (and my son in laws birthday, too!)

My 17 year old mother gave birth to a baby girl with wild black hair that stuck straight up all over her head. Some said my father must have been the milk-man (which infuriated my mother) and others suggested Elvis. The years would prove that eventually my hair could be combed and slicked down and that I definitely looked like both my mom and dad.Regardless of who I looked like or didn’t look like, I thrived. I turned into a chunky little monkey of a baby and was spoiled by both sides of my family.

When I woke up this morning and realized that yes, I really had made it to 70 years old the first thing I did was go make some strong coffee. The shock of having a birthday that ends in zero should always be accompanied by several cups of coffee.

7 Thoughts About my 70th Birthday

!. I am blessed to be here. Not everyone gets to make it this far and I thank God daily for allowing me to be with my family and friends for this many years. That’s why it doesn’t bother me to broadcast my age all over the Internet. Every year is a gift and I am thankful for each one of them.

2. The best thing about being 70 is that my 5 children and their spouses have gifted Bill and I with 11 grandchildren. From ages 1 to 21, they are each as precious to me as sunshine.

3. This year on the 30th of August Bill and I will have been married 46 years. I came really close to losing him to Covid. It was a long road to recovery but I’m so thankful he made it and today we get to celebrate my 70th birthday together. A good marriage with a loving partner is one of the best gifts you can receive.

4. Make Wise Choices

Every day we live we make choices. Some are important and others are trivial but even not choosing to do something is a choice. I have had 70 years of making choices. I have made my share of mistakes but thankfully none that were life altering. I owe that to the good Lord and my mother’s prayers.

Now as I watch my grandchildren navigate through their sea of choices, I hope and pray daily they will listen to their parents and their heavenly Father. One bad choice can change the course of your life and so to my grandchildren I say this, “Stop and think about every choice you make….really think about it.”

You are amazing! You have parents and grandparents who think you are the best thing since ice cream was introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair (no, I was not there for that momentous occasion.) Learn to love yourself for all the good things inside you and don’t let anyone ever take your confidence away. If someone picks on you at school it’s their problem, not yours. Bullies pick on others because they feel bad about themselves or something wrong is going on in their life. Just ignore them. Shine your light and be kind to others. Not every child grows up feeling loved and safe. #youareblessed #bekind

5. Lessons on Life

Here’s my take on these famous words. Life is really short. No matter if you are given a few years or 70 years, it passes in the blink of an eye.

5. Take the Trip.

Don’t put off life and friendships because you are too busy. Work is important. It’s how we put food on the table but sharing moments and memories with loved ones is important, too. And once those loved ones are gone all you will have of them is the memories so make some good ones together!

6. Buy the Shoes

If you have ever seen uglier feet than mine I feel sorry for you. So, yes, buy the shoes but make sure you can walk in them comfortably and they have good arch support. Trust me. It’s important.

7. Eat the Cheesecake

I said cheesecake because it’s my favorite but whatever kind of cake you like….eat a slice on your birthday or a friend or grandchild’s birthday. One slice is not going to break the scales. My mother was the best baker and Kelly Bell (my sister-in-law) is the second best. I have so many memories of delicious desserts that my mother and Kelly have baked. I can practically salivate thinking about them.

And One to Grow On

When I was young my Grandpa Bell would insist on giving me a birthday spanking. It was love swats that wouldn’t hurt a fly. He would give me a swat for each year and then say, “And one to grow on,” and swat me once more. Supposedly this was a custom from his youth and after the birthday spanking they put you under the bed. I never got put under a bed but I’m going to give you one more thought to grown on before I close.

There is nothing in this world more important than faith in God. No matter what life throws at you (even when you get a cream pie in the face) if God is there with you, you can go on. You may think you can’t. You may hurt so badly you think you heart will never heal but God will get you through it. By the time you are my age you will have scars on your heart because loved ones have gone on before you. Hold tight to your faith. People may disappoint you, talk about you, or hurt you but God never will.

For more birthday thoughts you can read a letter I wrote my daughter on her 29th birthday here.