Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Pre-Birthday Celebration

Tonight our daughters hosted a birthday celebration for me. We had to celebrate a bit early since one of our daughters will be working out of town on my actual birthday. All of us went to a Japanese Steak House. The chef worked his wonders of tossing vegetables into our mouths, igniting large fires on the grills, and entertaining us during the meal. Lil Man's already-big-brown eyes grew even bigger when the fires ignited. It is always nice to gather around a table and share a meal as a family.

I was asked today what I felt this year with regard to my birthday. One word came to my mind and that is gratitude. I know with every day that I am given, that I have been blessed. I am past due on my anticipated "expiration" date by several years. I've lived for quite sometime at Stage IV leukemia and there doesn't appear to be many remaining treatment options for me. I am blessed and I am grateful for today and for tomorrow.

If, today, you allow thoughts of negativity, jealousy, gossip, worry, concern, or anxiety to steal one moment of your day, I would suggest that you stop and reflect on how you would be living today if you knew that your time was limited. I would venture to say that you would live very differently. Life is too short for petty problems. Take it from someone who knows!

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