Another Year Older

Today is my birthday. I am 56 years old. I have now joined the ranks of "the elderly". I don't feel 56. I don't think I look it either. Most people tell me that I look much younger than my age. They are either being kind or they are also old and have trouble focusing their eyes. Whatever the reason, I will run with it. As I get older, birthday celebrations seem less important. Each year when people ask me what I got for my birthday, I tell them that the only present I want is to hear my parents and children sing "Happy Birthday" to me. That is the best gift and by the end of the day, I will receive this special gift, once more. As I get older, the birthday excitement diminished. I feel that each day that I am blessed to wake up healthy, surrounded by family and good friends, is like a birthday.