Smiles on My Birthday

Do you like celebrating birthdays? Or do you groan when a birthday comes around to add a year to make you feel older? I don’t groan. I appreciate every birthday. I just don’t bother counting them. In fact, since today is my birthday and I’m not doing any adding up, I’ve been asking people around me this question that Satchel Paige, the great ballplayer, asked. “How old would you be if you didn’t know  how old you were?” That’s an interesting question to think about. Note that it’s not asking how old you feel, but how old you think you are inside your head.

I don’t know what my answer is, but I’m pretty sure it’s probably at least ten and maybe twenty years younger than I actually am. So, I’m posting some pictures that were taken ten or more years ago when my grandkids were still all kids and some of them still little enough to be packed around. This picture up top even has sweet Oscar smiling in it too.

Another quote that is a great one to remember on a birthday or any day is this one from Art Buchwald. The best things in life aren’t things. A loving family is definitely on that best things in life list, and I’ve been blessed with wonderful children and sweet grandchildren. The picture above was taken on one of my birthdays when I got to enjoy a grandkid visit. This picture below is not one taken on my birthday, but it’s a time when I got to enjoy some of my other grandchildren.

My daughter and her husband don’t have kids, but it’s always a fun time when we can get together too.

Smiles are always good to share on a birthday. And so here are a few birthday quotes that might get you smiling.

~Old age is always 15 years older than I am. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

~Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. – Mark Twain

~Of course, I know how old I am. Well, I know when I was born. I don’t like doing the math, so I usually just ballpark it. 

~Don’t let aging get you down. It’s too hard to get back up. – J Wagner

~The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life. “Why,” I answered without a thought, “now.” (David Grayson)
I think Mr. Grayson has the right idea. Now is the best time because it’s the time you have.

~Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. (Larry Lorenzoni)

~A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip! (Author Unknown) Love the thought of this quote.

~Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. – Dorothy Canfield Fisher

One last thing: 

I did send out a birthday newsletter this week. My regular newsletter service quit and I scrambled around to find a new one. In the process I missed doing some of the things that are necessary to assure a better delivery to those signed up on my email list. Some of you might be among those who may not have gotten the newsletter. Many of the newsletters ended up in spam folders, even the one that came to my email box! Very discouraging. But if you don’t see the newsletter in your email box or in your spam folder and would like a copy, let me know and I’ll forward one to you before I go back to the drawing board to figure out what to do next about sending newsletters. You may remember that I never send out a newsletter without a giveaway. Books this time since books are favorite gifts that I like to get and give.

Tune back in here on Wednesday and I’ll be sharing about a new book from Susanne Woods Fisher with a chance for you to win a copy of her book and one of mine too.

Now, back to that question. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?