What is this?!

Are you kidding me? What is this? I found it on my dining room table this morning.
Is that my name etched in the card? And did you notice that it says these are my permanent cards? What exactly does that mean?
I wasn't aware when my membership in this club actually started. I thought I had a few years. What's the deal? Do they want us to feel older?
C'mon.... I'm just getting used to the fact that I have gone over the hill. I don't need these people signing me up for the old people's club.
Notice that at the bottom it says that if I remove the perforated portion and send it off, I will become a member in good standing....
Who tore it off and sent it in????
I certainly didn't have a hand in it.
I would have shredded the envelope without even opening it.
Gosh... I feel old just looking at it!!!!
Does it sound like I am in crisis mode??? I'm really not. I just get worked up about random things. I love the fact that I am now 50 yrs old and I feel as good as I do! I am grateful for the fact that I can still hop on my ten speed and take a long bike ride (yes, a ten speed - I still have it from the 70's and it still works great! ). I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband that has loved me through the various seasons of our lives together, despite my mood swings :)
So, no... actually I am not in crisis mode. Getting this card in the mail offers for me a visual reminder of the years that have gone by and the ones yet to come. I guess I, too, have come to a milestone in my life just like some of my other family members in previous days.

Joy in the Journey & the Humboldt Crud

Some days are just like that. By the end of the day the weariness settles in, the emotional ups and downs weigh heavy on our hearts and just the general fatigue of living in the 21st century takes its toll on our bodies . Having the Humboldt crud in the bronchial chest area doesn't help either. I have had the crud now for over a week. Coughing, breathing issues and the like have tried desperately to take over my good health as my immune system valiantly tries to fight it off. So far, it feels more like the long drawn out war in Iraq as opposed to the quick surge in Afghanistan; some days it feels like I'm winning the next it seems like the insurgents are taking over. It's taking some time. Winter in Humboldt can be long and damp which can make a cold linger for weeks.
So, such as it is, I realize my last post perhaps may have been depressing. But who is never a little down? Sometimes I think we put too much emphasis on always having to be "up". Like upbeat, bubbly, positive or congenial. Even Jesus had days that because of the depravity of man caused him to feel down. Not that He lost hope, but saddened and emotional about the way things were.
My heart is saddened when I see the aged of our society in what is perhaps their last days. Growing old is not something for the faint of heart. I realize now how courageous these older folks really are. Just as I am fighting off the effects of my cold so too are they fighting to fend off the aging process. And they have good days and bad days. Maybe growing old is just like having one long cold.
Aside - going to the beach, taking long walks, playing with my kids are all great ways to celebrate the health that God has given me. Some days are full, bright and sunny with lots of activities while other days are slow, emotional and tedious. Through it all, God sustains. He hears the longings we have in our hearts for more good days to spend with our friends and loved ones. And while these days click by like fingers punching out an email on a keyboard, each and every one of them is to be treasured.

Philippians 4:12, 13
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want, (healthy or sick) and that is ....
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.