How In The World Did I Get To This Point?

39...I can't believe that today I turned 39. The last year of my thirties. One year away from my forties. Forties?!!! People who are in their forties are old. Or so says the person who was far, far away from their forties. Now...not so much. I don't feel like I'm middle-aged. Is that what one is when they are almost 40? Can't be. Don't middle-aged people fall asleep watching the 10:00 o'clock news because they can't stay up till the 11:00 o'clock news?
I still remember lots of things about growing up, about high school, about college, about my first job etc. On the inside I really don't feel like I'm almost 40. Those times really weren't that long ago, right?
What's caused all this inward reflection? And no, I don't think middle-aged people do a lot of inward reflecting. It's Facebook. Today I got lots of Happy Birthday wishes from people that represented lots of different memories from my life. Gave me lots of smiles as I remembered how I knew them.
There were the boys that were me and my sisters first pals in the neighborhood and who I went to preschool with. The girl I went to high school with. The dear friends I worked STC on Word of Life Island for the summer with (and Schwendy and Gregorio...can you believe that was 23 years ago) the summer of my sophmore year in high school. The friends I met when we all went to the Word of Life Bible Institute after high school. The friends from my years at Cedarville University. The friends from my first job once I moved here to PA after college. The friend who taught 6th grade with me at Calvary. All the friends from our church. And of course my family who brought to mind so many good memories that are too much to list here.
Yes...I'm now 39 but that's 39 years of good memories that God has blessed me with. He has truly directed my path through the years and has placed special people in my life. Here's to 39 more years! And now that it's close to 10:00 o'clock I need to settle in and see what news there is because I don't think I'm going to stay awake for another hour.