Birthdays & Celebrations and Life & Death

The month of May is busy at my house. That is busy with a capital “B”. There are several family members with May birthdays, including my own. Then there is Mother’s Day, a daughter’s high school graduation (and subsequent party) and finally, Memorial Day which kicks off the summer months. Shew! I am tired already, and I’m only half way through the month.

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned forty-seven. It is not a “big” birthday, but I always become contemplative, nonetheless. The years have come and gone, and I like to believe during that time, I’ve learned the important things. Quite often I am reminded of how much my life has changed. I asked my husband the other day as we were driving home from town, “Can you believe that we live here, in rural Ohio? Who knew that we would ever end up here.” Anyone that follows my blog, or checks me out on Pinterest or Instagram, knows from my photos that I love my life in the country. I am grateful to God for all the ways that He has chosen to bless me.

My son’s birthday is tomorrow. He is slipping out of the teen years and into the twenty-somethings. I find myself looking at him, recalling his growing up years. My heart carries a collage of memories. He has changed a lot since May of ’95, and so have I. I am proud of the young man that he has become. Life hasn’t always been easy, but God is always so good. You can read some our story here, here, and here.

Most people know that I am an avid animal lover. My husband teases me with the unofficial title of “Dr. Doolittle”. She walks with the animals and talks with the animals….. I admit, I do talk to the animals that call our piece of country, home. They talk back too, just not with words. When I married Scott on a winter evening in January of 2006, I gained a new family to blend with my own. Not only did I gain a new husband, and children, but several new pets. Joe is a black and white domestic short haired cat. He is now 16 or 17 years old. A few months ago we noticed his face and leg were swollen. After a trip to the vet, we were given the news that Joe probably has cancer. At the time, Joe still had a lot of spunk, but as time has worn on, it has spread and he is tired from this hard journey. It will not be long, and we will be forced to say goodbye. In the midst of our May celebrations of life, we will begrudgingly have to say hello to death. I hate it. Dealing with death never gets easier. Yes, I know that Joe is a cat, he is not human…but, he is loved and will be deeply missed.

I guess with all my birthday contemplation, and this craziness I call May, I am reminded this month, for me, is a reflection of life as a whole. Life and beauty and celebration. Good memories with family and friends, mixed in with the hard stuff. The painful stuff, that wedges itself into our days. I will be the first one to tell you, that I get that. I really do. Life isn’t perfect, not even most of the time…..but, it is good.