It’s a little strange, to say the least, that the 40 year milestone has just about come and gone.  

The girls and my husband let me sleep in this morning – until 7 AM! – and greeted me in bed with gifts and homemade cards.  It was very sweet.  Mom gave me a pair of lovely earrings and a photo album chronicling my life, from infancy on.  It’s an amazing book of memories and I can’t stop looking at it.  My aunt gave me the bracelet my father gave to her for her Sweet 16 approximately 45 years ago.  A remarkable, thoughtful gesture, to say the least.  I’m wearing it now.  And my dear brother and his wife sent me a gift certificate to a local spa, which I plan to use for a facial to get rid of the recently spawned 40-year old wrinkles.

I usually feel like my birthdays are a big letdown.  But I don’t feel like that today – I had a great weekend and a great Monday, and now I’m 40.  And surprisingly enough, that’s perfectly ok.