“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times.
But that is not for them to decide.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
I have the privilege of looking back on seven decades of a good life. There have been many happy times and some sorrowful times, times of ease and times of struggle, and plenty of opportunities for learning and growth. The world has seen rapid change in the past seventy years and I remember events, especially in the 1960s and 70s, that were as tumultuous as the present. As Tolkien writes, we cannot control what happens around us but we can decide how to live the life we are given.
I am thankful for a loving and supportive family over the decades, good friends, good health, a rewarding and meaningful career, a sustaining faith in God, and hope for the future.
Happy Birthday to Me!
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