Time

Today I am fifty-six years old. How in the world did that happen? I don't feel as old as I used to think a fifty-six year old person would feel. I've always been of the "you're as old as you feel" train of thought. I'm planning to feel young for the rest of my life. I really inherited that mindset. My mom was young at heart, so I'm going to follow her example. She was always the kind of person that everyone wanted to be around. Most of the people I work with are younger than I am; some are young enough to be my children, but we have so much fun together. They're all a bunch of dorks sometimes, but they certainly keep me laughing. Today I received a birthday card from my planning period buddies Jennifer Cox. and Jennifer McKnight. Jennifer C. wrote a very nice, heartfelt message in the card. Sweet right? Then Jennifer M. wrote the exact same message right below it. Anything for a laugh, I think tomorrow, I will act like my feelings are hurt because Jennifer M. made fun of my birthday message. I won't do that because I learned a few years ago that I shouldn't be a part of practical jokes. We thought we would pull a good one on McKnight by telling her that we had to come back to school the day after Memorial Day because they had made a mistake in the calendar. We had to lie to Cox too because she can't lie to save her soul. The problem was that Cox canceled a very important day with her daughter because she thought she had to go to school. Mr. Blue was NOT happy with us. We all pretty much decided that we needed to ease off the pranks.
As always, I'm thinking of Jason today. I miss getting that phone call. Right after his death, his friend Jake gave me the book 90 minutes in heaven. Occasionally, I re-read the chapters that describe heaven. I know time will mean nothing in heaven, but I was thinking this week that if it did, the people up there probably feel sorry for he ones who had the longest life here on earth.
We tell everyone happy birthday to celebrate their living one more year on earth. We really should be offering our sympathy. The luckiest ones are the ones who live here for a brief time and a longer time in heaven.
We're not going to care about this when we get there, but I can imagine the conversation.

Heaven's Greeter: Hi, welcome to heaven.
Newbee: Wow, this place is awesome.
Greeter: Tell me about yourself.
Newbee: Well, I was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother. I had a very long long.
Greeter: Oh, bless your heart; I'm so sorry. Don't worry, honey, everything's going to be all right now. All your troubles are over.