An "Ordinary" Birthday

There was really nothing out of the ordinary about my birthday today except for two things. One of them really had nothing to do with me at all. Today's date was unique 09/09/09. It was a "once in a century" occurrence and the world took notice.

I heard on the news that a higher than normal amount of couples "tied the knot" in order to have a special wedding day. My guess woud be that it wasn't so much so it would be special but that it would be easier for the husband to remember the anniversary.

The other thing that happened today warrants it's own blog post. I'll write about it tomorrow. Do I have you curious? Well here's a hint. I wrote about it as part of my last post. It involves a family member. Enough said. More tomorrow.

As a rule I usually try and do something special on my birthday but today I really didn't make any plans. I just got up about 7:30 and took my dog, Dory, to the vet to have her teeth cleaned.

I called my friend, Brent, and reached him while he was in the middle of a do-it-yourself car repair. As it turns out he had the same problem with both of his cars at the same time. I since I really didn't have any plans for the day I offered my assistance. I gave him a ride to the auto parts store and took him to pick up his 2nd car in the parking lot where his wife works.

It was great to spend time with him and his 4 children. All 4 of the kids, led by his oldest daughter, wished me "Happy Birthday" in unison from the back seat of my Vue. It was one of the best birthday tributes I got all day. Things didn't work out as smoothly as they could have for Brent with his car problems but I was glad I could help him when he needed it.

I got lots of "birthday wishes" from all my family and friends on my Facebook page. My sister-in-law came over for a visit and gave me a very cool gift. I got birthday calls from both my sisters as well.

I spent the rest of the day at home. I was tired and didn't feel too well. My "system" was a little grumpy today. I took a nap and finished my list of my favorite 25 episodes of the TV show M*A*S*H. That's material for a future post as well. I also practiced for my "Street Party For Jesus" performance on Saturday.

I went to the vet about 3PM and picked up a very groggy Dory. She still hadn't come completely out of the anesthetic. She laid around the rest of the day; only coming to "life" long enough to eat the food I had put down for the cat.

At my suggestion Paula brought home KFC grilled chicken. It was the first time I'd had it and it was pretty good. I couldn't help but take a nibble of the biscuit that came with it. Only took a small bite but it was good.

The evening of my "ordinary birthday" was completed by sitting and watching the Yankees play a game against the Tamp Bay Rays. Although they had no idea they did it they really made my night. First of all Derek Jeter, the Yankees shortstop, tied Yankee individual all time hits record held for 70 years by Lou Gehrig. Also in the bottom of the 8th Jorge Posada hit a pinch hit 3 run home run to give the Yankees a 4-2 come from behind victory.

So as I sit here at my computer on the last few minutes of my 49th birthday I am inclined to wrap this post up by telling you that as birthdays go this is not one I will remember for any particular reason (the subject of tomorrow's post excepted). But I will say that as I look back on my 49th year it was quite a memorable one for me. I won't go into details of everything that happened to me but if you're wondering what I'm referring to review my posts from September 08 until today.

While today may only be a marking of the time passing in my life I can say for sure that on this birthday I Love God much more than I did a year ago. I'm in much greater awe of His power, His Majesty, and His Love. I am have a better understanding and a "heart sense" of what the sacrifice, ministry, grace and gospel of Jesus Christ means in my life, to the church, and to the lost sinful world.

I look forward to God working His will even more in my life as I march toward that earthly milestone of 50 years of age. My prayer to My Lord is that I be a obedient and active participant in His work.