September 22, 2023
“The days of our life are seventy years or perhaps eighty, if
we are strong… ~ Psalm 90:10a NRSV.
Our high school class (Mechanicsburg High School Class of 1971) has an on-line “Memorial Page” to remember our classmates who have died. I was asked to write an introduction to the Memorial Page, and in so doing, came across the above passage. The Psalmist’s words were especially sobering considering that the vast majority of us turn 70 this year. Back in March, Rod gathered the kids, their spouses, and our grandchildren for a surprise birthday party for me. I was not surprised as we went to a restaurant ninety minutes away.
Last Sunday I organized an (almost) surprise birthday party as an early gift for Rod’s 70th birthday. He will be celebrating with his Mom in Mississippi with whom he shares the same birthdate, October 1, 22 years apart. We had a great time, with lots of laughter, lots of food, and an abundance of 70th-birthday-themed gifts. The only person not physically present was oldest granddaughter Lily who is a freshman at Elon University. She showed up via Facetime. Turning 70 feels very different from turning 50 or 60. Our end is closer than our beginning. That is an indisputable fact, and the wrinkles, gray hair, and aching joints put an exclamation point on the reality of the aging process.
Nevertheless, we persist in enjoying now, and looking forward to tomorrow and tomorrow tomorrow (as our younger granddaughters put it). Rod has perfected clapping out birthday candles thanks to the COVID Pandemic. Keep clapping, for each and every moment you and I have the privileged of enjoying.
Happy Early Birthday, Rod. Love you! ~ Anne
Marie-Helene, Rod, Anne-Sophie and Ross
Wayfinding 