Turning 47

I turned 47 today. It seems odd to say that, for at least a couple of reasons:

1. I was 10 months younger than Melissa, so for most of the year, she was a year older than I was. But now I’ve lived to be older than she did (she was 46 when she passed).
2. I feel like I’ve “missed” so much of the past two years, or at least my brain doesn’t remember it unless I intentionally look back at my journals. So in a way, I still feel like I’m 45.

I had my “main” birthday dinner with family last night — my brother made burgers at my request, and my sister-in-law made the strawberry/cream-cheese/pretzel DELIGHT (my word) which is a favorite of mine and that I had also requested. (There is some discussion about it being a “salad,” as that word is apparently part of the recipe’s name, but I stand firm in my stance that any dish that I want for dessert is NOT a salad.) And I got a very special and rare performance of the Happy Birthday song from my nephew — if you know our family, you will understand.

Today, Jake and I worshipped via an online church service, and then had lunch via Doordash. Later we took advantage of my free Starbucks birthday beverage, where I got a “Trenta” 30-oz iced coffee. I didn’t realize they had a size that large, and I fear I will regret consuming that much caffeine today!

Days like birthdays, holidays, etc. are still days of mixed emotions. Melissa LOVED birthdays and always made a big deal out of them, so we definitely missed her today. Jake and I talked a little bit about some memories of her, and then we speculated what she might have done to make today special. “Bittersweet” is the word that comes to mind…

Posted on 2022-08-14   #Birthdays