Today is my 60th BIRTHDAY. I didn’t expect to live to 60. The reasons I say that is when I was drinking/drugging I had a very dismal look at the future and the prospects of even getting clean. But at age 34 I got clean and sober with the assistance of Alcoholics Anonymous, therapy and many individuals.
This June21 st ( On Father’s Day ) marks my 26th year of continuous sobriety. To say I am grateful is an understatement. No matter when life ends— what really matters at the end ? I know now it is not what we bought, but instead what we built. It is NOT what we got, but what we shared. It is not our competence but our character .And certainly it is not our success, but our significance.
I have learned to live a life that matters to me. I have learned to be the best of my ability to have few to no expectations. This way I can be surprised and not disappointed.
I have learned to forgive people although difficult at times in some situations. Forgiveness is not accepting their behaviors then or now. I have forgiven them for me and only me. This has allowed me to move on with my life.
We each have a journey. Some of the journeys are easier than others and some are tougher than others. We each have to take what has been dealt to us by our Higher Power. The choice has been mine to either make me a better person or allow it to tear me down. To the best of my ability , the fate belongs to me.
So on my 60th I want to thank everyone who has crossed my path in my years. I realize today how far I have become and I “ smile “I smile because I am proud of myself. Andrea Dykstra summed it up : “ In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.”