July 5

Today I am 60 years old.

On January 24th, 1982 on the occasion of his 50th birthday, Henri Nouwen, wrote, "Within a few years [5, 10, 20 or 30] I will no longer be on this earth.  The thought of this does not frighten me but fills me with a quiet peace.  I am a small part of life, a human being in the midst of thousands of other human beings.  It is good to be young, and to grow old and die.  It is good to live with others and to die with others.  God became flesh to share with us in this simple living and dying and thus [his presence] made it good.  I can feel today that it is good to be, and especially to be one of many.  What counts are not the special and unique accomplishments in life that make me different from others, but the basic experiences of sadness and joy, pain and healing, which make me part of humanity.  The time is indeed growing short for me, but that knowledge sets me free to prevent mourning from depressing me and joy from exciting me.  Mourning and joy can now both deepen my quiet desire for the day when I realize that the many kisses and embraces that I received today were simple incarnations of the eternal embrace of the Lord himself."

Henri Nouwen died on September 21, 1996 at the age of 64.

Today I am 60 years old.  I would like to write something profound....  ha ha ha.....

I look back on every day that I have lived and they are all a treasure.  I remember running track in high school.  In my mind, in my soul, and in my dreams, I still run with the track team, but the body has moved on.  So I am the same as I used to be, but also very different.

I think of every person that I have loved, and oh I am so blessed.  I cherish every hug that I received from you and I hope to receive many more.  I think of the friends that we have made, the broken relationships that have been healed, and the amazing power of love.  I don't know how many days that I have left but I am going to take the advice of Ruth Gordon from the movie Harold and Maude.  She told Harold, live, LIVE, L.I.V.E. LIVE!!!

What a joy.  What a miracle life is.  Thank you all for being a part of mine.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.