So, another birthday today...

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone, and I'm celebrating another birthday today!

This past year was quite an eventful one for me. On January 31st, I became a grandmother. Little Payton has revolutionized my life! The sad part is that I've only gotten to see him four times so far, but you can bet I made the most of every minute I was able to spend with him. I'm crazy about that little boy, and I love being a grandma. As my mother has said, "It adds a whole new dimension of love to your life." She's so right.

In September I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. What seemed like an upsetting and depressing turn of events actually became a blessing in disguise. I am now eating more healthily than I ever have in my life, and exercising on a much more consistent and committed basis than I ever have. Diabetes finally gave me the motivation I've always needed to stick with a healthy eating and exercise plan, and I actually feel better than ever.

There are several things that tell me that I'm not young any more...little things that I won't go into, because if you're my age, you've noticed them in yourself too...and if you're younger, you don't have to worry about that yet.

But there are many ways in which I really do feel that "I'm not getting older, I'm getting better"! That's my story and I'm sticking to it, anyway. (smile)

Doug and I got a Christmas letter from a friend who talked eloquently about finding the beauty in life. She talked about finding beauty on her morning walks...beauty in her mother's aged hands and her father-in-law's zest for living...beauty in her husband's joyful praise-singing. She ended her letter with the admonition, "In 2008,look for the beauty!"

I love that! With so many ugly things going on in the world--the senseless shootings, the poverty, the disease, the scary presidential elections--there is still beauty everywhere. There can even be beauty in me, even as I add another (figurative) candle to my birthday cake. (Yeah, that really is figurative, because I won't be eating cake today, and if I did, that many candles would probably end up with a call to the fire department!)

But seriously. I will look for the beauty this year, and if I look, I know I'll find it.