A Birthday Milestone

Upper left: My precious grandchildren and me.  Clockwise from upper right: a beautiful gift was a bracelet with our grandchildren's birthstones; selfie of Farmer John and me; Rebekah Ruth and her parents; the road ahead, taken on the morning of my 65th birthday; my sweet grandsons and their parents; and my cake with mercifully fewer candles than would have been strictly accurate.   

My daughter, Melinda, coined the term"slippery slope" to describe how everyone's holiday expectations can collide, and hurt feelings may happen despite the best of intentions.  She has said that avoiding holiday angst when lots of people gather is "a slippery slope." 

My 65th birthday was a milestone I feared.  On that date, my teaching license expired and will not be renewed. As I approached the day I dreaded it emotionally.  I felt the message that would hit my heart would be something like this: "Happy birthday, you are no longer a teacher, and now you are on Medicare;" two potentially upsetting milestones!  But my family worked hard to make the celebration sweet, and then a dear friend called to bring me this message:  "When I prayed for you it came to me that you are still the Lord's child.  That is a relationship with no expiration date."  

Alleluia!  

 Lord keep our hearts open to the joys of our celebrations, protect us and be in our responses to the inevitable hurts that occur when lots of precious people, each with their own expectations, gather together. Please Lord, don't let us cause hurt to others out of our own heartaches, and may Your Name be praised and honored among us as we celebrate Your birth.  

Praying to remember this Christmas season that it's all about Jesus.