The Next 30: Birthday Reflections (Part 3 of 3)
Thanks to love, nurture, and life, this Monkey Girl has survived and thrived for 30 years. I’ve lived in rural towns and cities in three states, traveled to two European countries and one developing country, attend a women’s college (memoir, anyone?), earned two academic degrees, received a religious ordination, published articles, blogged, worked as a hospital chaplain, served a church, and gotten married.
In the next 30 years I hope to: publish a book, write articles on interfaith relationships, plant a garden (container or otherwise), visit my birthplace, discover even more ways to live simply, travel, dust off my violin, curb my sweet tooth, pray, read, and walk as much as I can; volunteer, teach, mentor, inspire, serve, and make a difference.
My prayer is that the next 30 years will bring endless sunny mornings to muse over summer days in Indiana, growing up in Reidsville, failing French but loving it anyway, Mrs. Guzy’s red pen, four shaping years at Salem College, discovering myself at Duke Divinity School, field education ministry placements, 36 chaplain residency on-calls in 52 weeks at UNC Hospitals, death and dying, my pastoral identity, working for Duke University, traveling, being a writer/minister, and falling in love.
What will you do with your next 30 (or 5, 10, 50) years? Blessings on your journey.
Life takes on a new perspective when you reach an age that forces you to face the fact that you probably don’t HAVE another 30 years. Time is precious. Using what I have left as the Lord wishes is more important than ever.
You’re so right! Thanks for commenting. Embracing this perspective and living each day in God’s purpose is priceless. The older I get, the more I realize this. Peace and blessings.
Good to see a picture of your Granny car, as your
friends called it. You have grown in so many ways
since 1998 in Reidsville, N.C. Keep up the good
work of daily life in a wonderful marriage and
enjoy every minute of life. Savor it. The best
is yet to come. The 30’s are great! You will see.
oh man dana i bought the same car in 1998 to commute back and forth to work and high school.
i miss her! i never named her but rode it into the early 2000s! i loved the interior!
That’s awesome, Nathan! Always nice to “meet” a fellow Celebrity fan. It was a great car, wasn’t it? I do miss it (I have to admit it).
They don’t make ’em like they used to! 🙂
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Best,
Dana