Today is my 40th birthday. I find this hard to believe. As of today, all five of my siblings and I are in our 40s. I have lived in parts of five decades and witnessed some monumental moments in our country's history:
1969 the landing on the moon (I actually have very dim memories of this)
A big blur of early 70s.....
1976 bicentennial celebration, Carter elected
1979-81 fall of the Shah of Iran, ensuing hostage crisis, etc.
1980s-early 90s Reagan, Bush I, fall of the Soviet Union, Desert Storm
1990s-Clinton yada, yada, yada
April 19, 1993 Burning of the Branch Davidians in Waco, TX
April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing
April 20, 1999 Columbine shootings
2001-9/11--I'll never forget that day
2007-Alan Knox turning 40 before me! :)
As you may have noticed, my birthday seems to be a magnet for horrible occurrences (it's also Hitler's birthday) and is apparently a holy day for potheads everywhere
Every year I find myself holding my breath on my birthday, waiting to see what might happen. Now, this year we've already had our sometime-around-the 20th tragedy, I hope. I pray no other insane, evil people will do anything today. It's kind of hard to celebrate a birthday when everyone is glued to their TVs watching the latest disaster coverage. (What this all says about my birth, I don't know. Feel free to comment...)
Now, this post is not only a cheap ploy to get people to wish me a happy birthday--and to remind my sister Ruth that next year she'll be the first of the Putney kids to hit 50--but also a way of reflecting on my age and my life. I feel pretty good for forty, and I thank God for my husband, children, and friends. But as I reflect on middle age today, mostly I am ashamed that I have not done more for God's kingdom. I pray today for boldness in witnessing, for humility in serving, for strength in enduring life's struggles. I pray that I can spend the next forty years living all-out for the Lord, and not have any regrets, as I do now about my first forty years.
May God bless you on my birthday and every day.
24 comments:
Since your birthday is April 20th does that mean that you are evil.
Mary
Mary: BRAT! Who raised you?
I think it was you and Dad. But I think the bratty-ness was mainly from you.
Mary
Alice,
I agree with Mary... she got her "bratty-ness" from you. *waves at Mary*
hmmm... Hitler was born on your birthday... Eric Clapton was born on mine... that explains everything.
Happy birthday!
-Alan
Alice: the best part of April 20th! God saw fit in His infinite wisdom to share with the world one of His greatest creations~~Y-O-U.
He knew your husband would need you to undergird and support him. He wanted to bless the world with your offspring and give joy to your husband and, in turn, YOU.
He said, hmmmmn, what can I do today that would be of special significance to all those who'd read that little blogpost reflection 40 years from today. "Ah, ha! I know! I'll make Alice. And she can share how much she longs to serve Me from April 20th, 2007 through eternity. Ah, yes! This is a good idea." selahV
P.S. Happy birthday, Alice. Forty is NOT middle age. You've only just begun--again!
ALICE!!! I can not believe you didn't tell me last night that today was your b-day!! BRAT!!!! Happy 40th birthday my friend.....I haven't caught up to you yet!! HAHA.... I hope you have a wonderful day and I should be up there to see you tomorrow morning sometime! Love ya!
Well, you are one of the hottest 40 year olds I know - I hope I am as pretty (both on the outside AND on the inside) as you when I turn 40. Although, that won't be for another 15 years. :)
Mary,
It just means that she is OLD !!!
Happy Birthday Alice.
Wow, my birthday was yesterday! Unfortunately, it was not my 40th. (Yes, I said unfortunately.) But it was a happy one nonetheless. And the day before that was my daughter's birthday. I happen to think April is a pretty cool month (despite the fact that I've noticed horrible things happen on my birthday, too).
I can't believe I forgot to say "happy birthday" in there...Blame it on being 40-something.
Happy Birthday!
I only missed an April birthday by two days! Is that close enough? oh wait... two more days and I would have been an April fool... maybe three days?
-Ala
Alan: Or is it "Ala?" A new nickname? And I admit to being somewhat of a brat...
selahV: thanks for the beautiful comment!
Chandra: I know how old you are! You'll never catch up to me...
Leah: Oh, go ahead, rub it in, I'm old. I still love you anyway because you wrote such nice things.
Mael: THBBBBPPPPP!!! (Bronx cheer)
Isabel: Belated Happy Birthday to you...April is a good month, isn't it? My parents' birthdays are the 17th and 22nd.
Alice,
See my blog for my opinion on this matter.
Happy Birthday Mrs.Alice! I hope to see yall soon hopefully when the girls are there! lol
Love Kristen
What's up?
Happy birthday! Maybe now you can grow up ;-)
You know, I was thinking... in some asian countries you'd be 41.
Love you!
"And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, [He created Alice and] it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31, my paraphrase)!
Happy Birthday!!!
Kristen: We'll make plans when the girls get back from Virginia.
Renata: Thanks a lot! In the Asian mindset, I'll be 41 in three months.
Nick: Thanks. Isn't it amazing to know that at the moment of creation, God knew each one of us already. What a mind-blowing concept!
Hey, Alan-Ala, my sister's bday is April Fool's Day, and a fine foo -- er, sister she is, too.
Happy Belated birthday greetings.
JFK was killed on my first birthday and my mother tells me that everyone sat around my birthday cake crying.
Oh and I had to laugh when you wrote:
...and is apparently a holy day for potheads everywhere.
Every year I find myself holding my breath on my birthday,
Don't know why I thought that funny.
Hi, Strider: That's hilarious about your first birthday...well, not funny that JFK was shot, but funny in a weird, warped, sort of way.
Also,I didn't mean THAT when I wrote about holding my breath :) But when I just went back and read it it cracked me up.
By the way, I've been reading your blog for quite some time now. Excellent work!
hey ms. alice wut u up 2 i now have a blog so come and comment on my blog lol i cant wait to come and c u & bobby miss u
im still praying for you and hope u rite back
aaron
ps. i had to type like that just because i no u love it so much
hahahahahahaha
Aaron: OW! My eyes...can't...read...your...message. Or should I say:
My i's can't read ur msg LOL
hey thats plain english for me.....
Alice,
Happy belated birthday. I pray that you will have many more years to share your love of Christ with others. You and Eric are such a inpiration to us. Thank you for your love and support through out the years. Praying for you all daily.
Diana T.
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