Birthday Thoughts

Today I turned 41 ... a good age I think.  Not too young, not too old.  Just right, for now anyway!

I arrived back in Chicago yesterday for a few weeks after  my four week sojourn on the West Coast. Tonight I celebrated my birthday with some of my Chicago friends.  I realize I am very blessed to have lived here just one year, yet I have a good group of friends to celebrate with.  I invited them to join me at a bowling birthday extravaganza.  I'm not the best bowler, but I own a pair of (black suede) bowling shoes and always enjoy an opportunity to give them a spin!

It was an eclectic mix of young nun friends and grad school friends, some of whom have many years to go before they reach the ripe old age of 41.   This was brought home when a song played on the speakers at the bowling alley and I reminisced that I had seen the band perform  live at a stadium concert in 1988.  "You know what else happened in 1988?" my friend asked me.  "Let me guess," I said, "you were born."  Yup.

Last week I was lucky enough to be present with the elder Sisters in my community for our July birthday celebration at groovy sister hq. Today I celebrated with friends mostly younger than myself, although there were a few older. Both birthday parties were both intergenerational gatherings of a sort.  They were both fun, enjoyable, and brought a smile to my heart.  Tomorrow I get to celebrate my birthday yet again in another intergenerational celebration ... this one with my big sister and my 3 year old nephew!

Birthdays in my book are wonderful because they are an excuse to gather with those you love for no other reason than that you enjoy each other's company and want to celebrate life together.  What could be better than that??