52

Friday, April 17, 2015 was my Birthday! I turned 52 years-old that day. Fifty-two...52...FIFTY-TWO????? How can I possibly be 52??  I don't FEEL 52. lol  Most days I feel the same age I was when I got married - 25...that's 52 backwards...lol Some days I act 12 - other days I feel 3 and a half - some days, (usually after working in the yard or at the gym) I feel 82. I guess I've decided that age is just a number. It's what you do with the years allotted to you that truly matters. My sister-in-law, Debbie Webster always says, "Learn from it, grow from it, and MOVE ON!!"

For some reason, this Birthday got me thinking about the lessons I've learned in my 52 years on earth. Some lessons have been silly, others profound.  Here are a few I'd like to share.

Throwing a water balloon at a Carabinieri (Italian State Police) car is a BAD idea. As a follow up to that lesson, water balloons, even when empty, do not flush down the toilet. Never stick a rubber spatula in a blender with the blender running. In Arizona, if you have an abundance of crickets in your yard or on your patio, the black widow spiders will follow. And finally, soap for hand washing dishes and an automatic dishwasher do not mix well.

All humor aside, I have learned some things that hopefully are making me a better person. As a young teenager, I learned that I am a child of God. I have a loving Heavenly Father. He knows me by name. He knows my needs and loves me enough to provide for those needs. He knows my heart. He knows my faults and flaws and loves me enough to help me overcome them. He loves me enough to provide a Savior to atone for my sins and show me the pathway home. I learned that Jesus Christ not only atoned for my sins, but He suffered all my grief and pain so that He could have perfect empathy and know how to perfectly succor me through the trials and challenges of my life.

I've learned that the greatest gift God gave me is the gift of agency. I've learned that agency isn't free - there are always consequences to our choices. While we may be free to make whatever choice we desire, we are never free to choose the consequences of our choices....and sometimes those consequences come back around to bite us in the rear. I've learned to be grateful to my Heavenly Father for all things in my life - great and small. I've learned that there's no way to pay Him back for all He's done for me, no matter how much I may wish I could. I've learned that ultimately, the one thing He wants is for us to surrender our will to His - just as His Son, Jesus Christ did. I've learned that when I follow the path Heavenly Father has laid before me, I find the greatest joy and fulfillment in my life.

I've learned that motherhood was more wonderful than I ever dreamed, but more difficult and challenging than I could have imagined. Because I get to be a mom, I've learned to love without limits, boundaries or conditions. I've learned that marriage is hard but so worth it when you both give it your all. I've learned the joy of being married to someone who "sees" me - heart, mind, and soul and loves me for what he sees. I've learned how gratifying it is to love my spouse unselfishly and fully, and to become the woman that he "sees".

Through various circumstances in my life, I've learned to do "hard-things". I've learned that it's not as important what happens to you as how you deal with what happens to you. I've learned that Heavenly Father will not give you trials that are beyond your capacity to overcome. I've learned that sometimes dealing with those trials means simply making the best of them and enduring them well. I've learned that being kind is never the wrong choice.

Finally, I've learned that at the end of our lives, we will not be judged by the sum total of the good and bad we've done, but by what we have become. I've learned that when my time on earth is over, I want to have used up my life in the service of my loving Father-in-Heaven - who gave me this life and the opportunity to grow and progress. I have come to the great desire to hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant". 

So, here's to the last 52 years - I'm eager to see what the next 25, 30, or 52 have in store! All I can say is that it's been one heck of a ride so far!