Myself and quite a few of my friends hit birthday number 29 this year. The age we'll be for the rest of our lives! The different reactions have been interesting for me to watch. For example, I tell everyone my age...not a big deal for me, just another year. Some friends make jokes about how they're happy to be 29 because they'll never age another year in their life. Still others act as if the world has ended and refuse to admit their new age to anybody, including themselves.
I love growing older! Each new grey hair (and I have quite a few already!), each new wrinkle, each new ache or pain brings me one step closer to returning home to my Father in Heaven. Each is a powerful reminder for me to stay the course, to live my life in accordance with God's will, and to strive to inspire others to do the same. I am grateful for those reminders.
Mostly, though, I am excited for the Winter of my life. I feel as if I'm at the beginning of Autumn, with my "leaves" beginning to change colors in a very real way. Autumn and Winter have always been my favorite seasons! They feel the steadiest and appear the loveliest to me. When I think about the people who have left a lasting impact in my life, it has been the people in their Autumns and Winters. This is a humbling thought for me. I am entering my power years. People are watching and listening.
Will I be the type of Autumn that leaves warm and loving memories, or the type that's windy and cold and talks only of the dread of a coming Winter? Will I be the type of Winter that leaves graceful, warm, and lasting memories? The Winter when a person is fascinated by the unique beauty of each snow flake and how those snow flakes turn the world into something beautiful and heavenly? Or will I be the kind of Winter that is bitter and cold and makes a person ache for Spring and Summer to return?
I choose warm, loving, and lasting. May God assist me in becoming that kind of Autumn and Winter as I progress through the seasons of my life!
