Hello, 40

So, this is 40. Four oh. The big one. The hill.

What a gift!

As light filtered into my room first thing this morning and I woke up next to my beautiful wife, sheltered under the roof of a home I’m grateful for, comfortable in my bed, ready to enjoy another day of existence, what more could I do than give thanks? Before making a single move, I quietly prayed, “Lord, thank You for another day, year, and decade of breath, life, movement, relationships, and—most of all—Your presence.”

This reminded me of a black and white card that I had framed in my early twenties, showcasing a little toddler at a window, staring with wide eyes (and a runny nose) at a bird on the sill just beyond her. Inside the card, it read, “Show me a day in which the world wasn’t new.”

I agree with this sentiment.

And so, after praying and rising from bed, I went to grab coffee for Nicole and me at our local haunt, then I drove to pickup donuts for my family. When I returned home, Nic asked, “Why are you getting us donuts and coffee on your birthday?”

To which I responded, “Because it makes me happy to love and serve all of you.”

And that’s all there is, if you ask me, folks. Today is another day of life for which I gratefully have the opportunity to love and serve those around me. Don’t ask me what the next decade will hold, because I don’t really know. But I do know that today, August 22, 2022, is a good day. And I give thanks to the One who makes all such days—good and difficult, sunny and stormy, memorable and mundane—possible.