It’s My birthday – I am one of those old people!
So it’s my birthday today and I turn 43. I remember being 23 and meeting people who were 43 and thinking, “Crap, you are old”.
The upside of course to being 43 is that, being 23 once, I know how much I have to be grateful for. Not that the 23 year olds are not grateful, it’s just the extent that is different.
I am grateful!
I am grateful to God for His provision to me, for His guidance and help. I am grateful that He has blessed me with an amazing wife, who cares for me, and our beautiful children. I have the two best kids a dad could ever hope for. They make me laugh and cry. They already care for others in ways that are awesome to see!
I am grateful that I have a dad who is there for me, who gives advice and is generous. I am grateful for my mother, for all of her quirks, she did her very best to raise me. I am grateful for my sister, who despite being younger than me by almost 12 years is a great example to me about caring for others.
I am grateful for my extended family, for my late mother-in-law (Ma) who cared for me as if I were her son and always saw the best in others. My father-in-law (Pa) who has more energy at 67 (I think that is his age) than others have in their forties. His generosity is amazing! My brother-in-law and his family, who are awesome and a real blessing to me! My sister-in-law, who is always around and cares so amazingly for our children.
I am grateful for the many friends I have, too many to mention by name! My phone, sitting next to me, is buzzing with messages from all of them. My FACEBOOK stream is being populated with messages and I feel blessed. I am grateful!
My work colleagues, who make my time at “the grindstone” awesome! I have been blessed with a new adventure, two years in the making now and these guys are helping to make it really a real ride. To Adrian, Barry, Lindsay, Stef and Rav thank you!
As my eyes water thinking of all of these things, let me finish by acknowledging that I am still a work in progress. All of you have and will continue to have a part in building me. Thank-you for taking the time to do this – I am grateful.