65

Well, I made it. Today is my 65th birthday! I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered. I'm kind of excited actually. Why? Because I am about to venture into territory I have never explored before. Retirement!

My next blog, the one after this one, will be written by a retiree. Hey. Maybe my stories will be better written. I'll have more time to look them over before I post them. LOL!

The first thing I am going to do though on Monday morning is sleep in. For me that's 6 AM. If I can make it until then I'll be doing good. I'm excited to get going and I don't want to miss a single day.

When 6:30 rolls around though I'm going to be a little sad. That's usually the time I can be found at work, praying with my precious friend and workmate, Gayle. That's going to be a tough one for me. She is the one who got me thinking about Jesus and was instrumental in my upbringing as a new believer. But our friendship will last forever and I will stop back in at work every chance I get.

Jesus told us that we are supposed to love one another. That's easy for me to do. God has gifted me many wonderful friends at McMahon (where I work . . until this weekend). I love them and will miss them all.

I am also looking forward to spending more time with my wife Bev. Because she only works four days a week, every weekend from now on will now be a three-day weekend! I see many trips in our future. And breakfast together? That has never happened except on weekends. It will happen every day now though! :O

And of course there is the tiny home I am building. I am looking forward to that, spending time pounding nails with a few of my other retired friends. That will be nice. Especially when it will be used by someone in need.

But I think the thing I am looking forward to the most is spending more time with God. He always seems to get put last in our lives. We always have things to do and places to go and we often leave Him behind. That's not going to happen when I retire. God will get my first fruits of every day. That's the way it should be. The way it shall be.

There are those who fear change. They would rather keep things the way they were. They're comfortable. But "comfortable" is not where Jesus is found. We tend to seek Him only when we are struggling. We should seek Him always. Period.

I look forward to maintaining my earthly relationships while growing my heavenly one. The horizontal, and the vertical. The cross of Christ draws me close and that is where my joy is found . . . At the cross. The wonderful cross.

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” - Proverbs 16:31

At The Cross - Chris Tomlin
The Wonderful Cross - Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman
What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong