Now Qualified...

The Village Diner in Saugerties offers Senior Citizen menu options for those 55 and older. A few months ago, I went to dinner there with a friend and she told me to order from that menu. "I'm not 55 yet! I don't turn 55 for two more months!" The waitress overheard and did graciously say the it was okay for me to order from it.

Well as of January 21, I now qualify.

I don't have a problem with getting older... some folks would say, "It's better than the alternative." For me, I plan to leave this physical world someday for the spiritual, to be in the presence of my Creator. So in the grand scheme of things, getting older gets me that much closer to Heaven and I am okay with that.

As a matter of fact, I LOVE birthdays! It is a time I can expect each one of my sons to call, and they did.

I can anticipate dinner out at a place of my choosing, and we did enjoy a delicious meal at Aroma Thyme.

If not on the actual day, I usually hear from some of my siblings. I can ALWAYS count on my sisters to call, but this year within a week, I had heard from EVERY ONE of my four brothers and two sisters! If that's what birthdays bring, I am okay with getting another year older.

But the BEST part of my birthday and by far the best gift I could get is the phone call conversations with my GRANDsons. I cherish these! (Elijah and Asher's message from last year is still on my answering machine.) And while Elijah, now 11, feels it's more an obligation to call, he is willing to cheer me up with a bit of conversation until he can safely hand the phone off to his brother. Asher, at five, can think of nothing better (unless playing a game) than chatting like the grownups with his Grandma Bell for a time.

This year we spoke for over 30 minutes! We eventually had to end only because the batteries on the phones were dying out. We chatted about memories we created, cookies we baked, new toys in his room. He asked what Grandpa was doing and where our kitties were and shared about his cat. As he chats, he is known to walk around and look for more inspiration to keep the conversation going. He amuses me with his big words or his mother's phrases. Occasionally we are interrupted by his walking into the refrigerator or his falling off the chair as he seems to struggle with sitting still while talking. So intrigued by our conversation he stops paying attention to what he is doing and so we have experienced a few moments of silence or tears as he struggles to compose himself. Such joy is shared by two people of such diverse generations, it helps gives some semblance of right priorities in a most chaotic world.

So yes, bring on the birthdays and all that goes with it. Bring on many many more to share with grandsons and family and friends and all. May you all look forward to them as I do.