Today is my birthday. Just about as good as Mother's Day!
What a wonderful day!
Three of my five children took me out for lunch and an art stroll through Asheville's River Arts District. I had a simply wonderful time!
Then there were the phone calls from family of birth, my two other children, a separated husband, and lots of Facebook well wishes from some folks I've never met in person!
Like I said, it was a wonderful day!
My age now is 66. Sometimes i wonder how many more such days will I be blessed to have. At this time of my life, I find myself full of thankfulness that I can still eat everything, drink anything, do anything. But I don't have all the responsibilities of my children, nor the encumbrances of those older than I am.
This year I also want to thank all those who made my life what it is. I won't mention those whose impacts I'm still trying to shake.
Starting at the very beginning, there's my mom, Ruth Hull Roberts, who could cook up a storm with very little ingredients. She was a woman who loved food, and perhaps her love for rich sweet foods shortened her life. But she was also a strong woman who remained faithful to her maker even when that maker took so many of her children through still births and a life lived in poverty.
I thank my father, a handsome man with a gift of gab. He loved to have a good time, and that love of enjoying one more beer may have shortened his life, as well. But he was a religious man, always on his knees in the living room before bed. His life was tough. He wasn't perfect, but basically he tried.
Then there was Grandma Hull, who made the best cookies in the world: chocolate chip and coconut lace, and her cookie jar was never empty. She also put us kids up in her home in town when we showed 4-H calves at the Four County Fair in Iowa.
Another childhood hero was Nick Schommer, who kept his ponies on our farm, encouraging my lifelong love of horses of all types. And Mrs. Culver, a lady whose kids I babysat. She gave me the confidence to try out college.
A number of Sisters of Humility groomed me for adulthood, as well. Sister Cleopas, who told me I had a talent for art; Sister Edward, who made science exciting with her wicked sense of humor. (Born and raised along the Mississippi, she teased us about our Boyer River, more like muddy creek.) Then there was Sister Elaine, who made me editor of our school paper, paving the way for me to later on go to major in journalism in college.
Beyond those formative years, I could thank hundreds who made my journey just a little more bearable. I want to thank the man I married, a man who listened to me at a time when I thought no one cared. I also thank him for the five children we conceived and raised together.
There have been employers, friends and mentors throughout my adult life. One who particularly stands out was Mary Brookshire of Kingsport, TN. She guided me on a spiritual journey that I benefit from to this day. Friend Marcie Sharpe of Montgomery, AL, also helped me when I was new in her city. Our kids became close friends while Marcie taught me so much about trusting in God in all kinds of situations.
Now I'm an elder. Yet my life is still in a state of constant change. Two years ago, my husband and I separated. That has been rough, but friends in Asheville, NC, have seen me through it. I especially want to thank the folks from Servanthood House on Chestnut Street, just across the alley from my apartment. Without them, I couldn't have gotten through this traumatic time in my life. Their daily presence at morning meditation and Friday's Sabbath Circle brings stability to my life.
Asheville itself has been a place for healing in my life. I had tremendous help from Susan Sihler, a therapist who helped to learn to accept the person I am, not the person I wish I had been. Also the support I've received from Adult Children of Alcoholics has empowered me to share stories that I had kept buried for far too many years. Additional sources of growth for me have come from my new church, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Our Voice (offering art therapy classes), and the peace community in this fair city (Peacetown Asheville and Veterans for Peace). For the sheer enjoyment of life, I thank the Asheville Mushroom Club and those who have encouraged me in my photography work.
Today, my life is so different than it was a decade ago. Now I see the importance of a life appreciating and doing art. I see that I can branch out and do things I only dreamed about then. A couple such things include becoming certified as a doula and becoming an ordained minister. ( I have helped a couple women now give birth and even officiated at one of my children's marriage.)
And my life is only beginning now as a grandmother. I have four grandchildren: two girls (both the older siblings in their families) and two boys. My goal is to embolden them to celebrate life and to cherish all their responsibilities as creatures of this beautiful planet. I hope I can pass on to them the realization that they are a part of all that makes this planet tick. They are not more important, but they are just as important as that frog, that butterfly or worm in the garden. They all have a place in creation, and one can't get along without the other. If they can live their lives with that realization, my life will not have been lived in vain.
So today on the 66th birthday, I thank all the creatures on earth with me. I also thank my ancestors, my mentors, my teachers, my co-creators and my children. I thank you, my blog readers, as well.
But most of all, I thank the magic of creation itself, the coming together of parents, of timing, of generations of comings together. I thank the powers that be for letting me be a part of this complete celebration of what we humans call life.