It’s finally here. Oh my word. I am 50 years old today. I am so excited. Like…all my life I have waited until this very day.

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating just a bit. However, I started thinking about this recently. Shouldn’t we celebrate all the more, the older we get? I have known so many who have died young, and I guess, I am just thankful to be healthy and alive. It seems to me, our culture strives for eternal youth, but we have two ways it can all go. We either are going to grow old, get wrinkles and experience all the good stuff that comes with aging, or… we die. I figure, let’s celebrate the first option. Let’s celebrate living no matter what the age, no matter the amount of sag and wrinkles.

I am trying to approach this new decade of my life with a positive attitude. After all, I am still alive, healthy, happy and 20 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. I have all my teeth (except for those pulled when I was in the 7^th grade for braces), my hair is still on my head, and it’s not growing on my face yet (unless my eyes are going bad and I just can’t see it).

Ok…please tell me if you ever see facial hair on me.

Dementia hasn’t kicked in yet either. At least I don’t think so.

And Dementia hasn’t kicked in yet. I have so much to be thankful for!

And here is something else that I am happy about. My inner Batgirl came out the other night. I ran in the Portland Starlight Parade 5K run all dressed up like Batgirl (which it’s traditional to dress up for the run). Everyone cheered for me. All the little kids lined up on the street and wanted high fives. I became Batgirl! Every time I wanted to stop, or hurl, or when my chest started pounding because I was running too hard (or about to have a heart attack), I would just listen to the crowd call out my name…”go Batgirl…go Batgirl.”  Can you find me in this picture? Hint hint, I am in black with my hands raised high. Common common.

I didn’t want to stop, walk, rest or hurl in front of my fans because surely I would let them down, so I kept going and I made it. My first 5k ever.

Well, here is something else that is awesome about my birthday! This is definitely something I am celebrating. You all have been helping me raise money to build toilets for kids in Tanzania. We have raised over $9,000 so far!  I feel incredibly blessed about this. Today, and over this weekend, I truly believe we will get our first latrine project funded. We need about $6,000 more to get to our $15,000  goal for the first set of latrines. (Below are the instructions on how to make a donation). If we want to get that second project of toilets done, I am going to need some big bucks to roll in, but hey, I am not going to beg. I am just going to take you all on a trip and make you use a hole in the ground. Haha! Speaking of holes in the ground, and amazing opportunities, have you ever thought of going on a Compassion trip? Check out these sponsor tours http://www.compassion.com/get-involved/group-trips-list.htm

I do this for a living and would love to have some of you consider a trip!

Enough rambling.

Truly, I am just so blessed today, to be alive, to be healthy, to be in a family that supports and loves me, to have a job that helps release children from poverty in Jesus’ name, to go to a church that is beautiful because of it’s people, to be able to exercise and enjoy it, to have my hearing, to have my sight, to have the ability to move, dance, run, and bike. But more than any of this, I celebrate my life with great hope, knowing that I have been covered by the grace of God through Christ. He has given me so much to praise Him for. I have known my Savior, in a personal way for 35 years now, and I feel joy and peace knowing He will walk with me into this next decade. I celebrate today knowing this life is worth living, no matter what the age.

By the way, if you still want to donate to my Toilets for Tanzania (aka Potty’s for Patricia), please email me or Karen to let us know. It’s all tax deductible through Compassion. If you call Compassion directly ( 800) 336-7676, and make a donation, they need the Fund Code and the Comment. It’s like our secret code my friends.  This will ensure the funds go to the right place.

Fund Code:  WP
Comment:  Allocated to TZ-013401 per Karen Stephenson Major Gifts Director

If you mail a check, then make sure to include the Fund Code and comment too.

And finally, not related to the toilets, is my birthday quote.

“AGING IS A GIFT TO DO GREATER THINGS WITH YOUR LIFE.”

Patricia