So this is what fifty looks like

Here are a few things I have learned in my fifty-plus years:

☕️ coffee. It’s a great way to start the morning. And afternoon. And evening.

😻 pets. They are cheaper than therapy and soothe the soul. 

🦹🏼‍♀️ life is too short to pretend. Being real allows others to be real. We all struggle differently. 

📚 read a book or a thousand. This is how we learn and grow and travel without leaving our porches. 

👩‍🌾 being a farmer’s wife is a good life. I thank God for the farmer and kids He has blessed me with. It’s the simplicity and hard work of planting and watering and watching God grow the hearts and the plants. 

💝 be gracious. I need others to extend grace to me, so I must do the same.  I don’t know the whole story.  …and while I’m at it, I must be gracious to myself as well!

🍂 if I fall, get up and start again. There is always room for second chances. 

🤍 say sorry. 

🙏🏻 trust. This is a hard thing for one who likes to be in control and the knowledge that control has never been mine in the first place. But to trust in a God who knows all things, holds all things, loves me more than I can understand, and has ultimate control. 

😌 be thankful. Look for the blessing, and I’ll have less time to worry. 

🤨 be careful what I think because my thoughts run my life. This is actually a bible verse. Look it up (Proverbs 4:23).

💃 dress up. It makes you feel good. 

🤣 laugh with your kids. 

🤪 it’s ok to be quirky. 

👵🏻 50 feels just like 20, but with more stiff joints, and I can’t wear high heels. 

👩‍🎓 I’m not as smart as I thought I’d be by now. Every day I desire better, more; polishing the edges. I will never be too old to keep learning. 

⛪️ I couldn’t do life without my faith in Jesus. It’s not a crutch. It’s what I base my life on.