As far as I am concerned, grandparents should turn 60 and never age another year.  Papa Prune and I joke after he gives me a rundown of his upcoming eye surgery:  “Getting old is for the birds.”  The eight year-old version of me didn’t understand what a blessing it was to have four living grandparents and two living great grandmothers. 

Today, Grandpa Kee begins his 84th year of life on this earth.  It was only a few short years ago, following his bilateral knee replacement, that he was in the hospital with complications as the result of a fall that happened days before his procedure.  Never will I forget the moment that my precious Grandma and I were huddled close, outside his room in the ICU, praying that the medical team would be able to stabilize him.

Society is enamored with the lives of the rich and the famous.  Professional athletes with multi-million dollar contracts and young “artists” willing to stop at nothing in the name of fame, have become the topic of conversation at our dinner tables.  In sharp contrast, there is so much to be learned from the wisdom that comes from decades of walking with the Lord, sixty plus years of “for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health,” professional struggles, and the determination to live life well – not as a 100-yard dash, but an endurance race that requires daily surrender.  Tonight, I am thankful for the legacy of the trailblazers in my family – among them stands the Birthday Boy at 84 years young!