Birthdays and Blessings

Birthdays are a mixed bag of blessings and curses. The curses are wrapped up in an aging body, a physique that doesn’t respond as quickly to insult and injury. My fall on the ice and the recent bouts of frequent shoveling of snow, have made my back, knees, and hips ache. I carry the snow across the road to decrease the size of drifts on my side of the road. Aleve, Ben Gay, and a heating pad become your best friends. Walking on ice and snow can almost be as dangerous as crossing a minefield interspaced with punji sticks.

So far my memory hasn’t escaped the cranial vault where I store them, although remembering the combination to open the strong box sometimes gets mixed. I worry because my mother and her five sisters succumbed to the dreaded disease of Alzheimer’s disease. I have said the only difference between Satan and Alzheimer’s is that Alzheimer’s only claims the body, souls, and mind until the person dies while Satan controls for eternity.

Birthday blessings come when I reach another yearly milestone … alive. The best blessings are found in my family and friends. Being so visible at the hospital for so many years, I have made many friends and acquaintances, some good and some bad, but managing for twenty-six years, it happens.

Then I have all my Facebook friends. Many, I have never met, but they have been there to make me laugh, make me cry, and supported my through so much.

Then I have my writing friends from four different groups. This includes the Beanery, the Ligonier Writer’s group, CAW the collective of writers and artists, and the Mount Pleasant Library group. Some months, it really keeps me busy just attending meetings. I am glad that the weather is breaking and I can attend. It is such a lift to be with likeminded people.

I have my friends at church who have been there for me during thick and thin. At the death of my wife, the birth of my children, and the death of my mom and dad; they have lifted me and shared the joy and sadness. Only my family is closer.

Now I share the best blessing, my family, my firstborn Amanda Yoder, Eric Yoder her husband, Andrew Beck, my son, his wife Renee Largent Beck, and my baby Anna Beck. I have three beautiful granddaughters, Celine Beck, Moriah Beck and Hannah Yoder. The almost newest is my daughter Anna’s fiancé, James Prinkey.

Thank you all, each and everyone for the times that we have had together and for wishing me a happy birthday.