Milestone Birthday for TARA

Today marks the big 40 for our Tara. Congratulations! You probably don't realize it, but 40 is young, At least from where I stand! We get the idea that when you are that age, you think you are over the hill.

That must be an old wives tale, because, my life actually began in my late forties when I went back to school and continued my education.

Lots of changes come into one's life at any age really. I look back now and consider that time in my forties as a time of growth and progress, it was quite different than the first forty, that is for sure. It is kind of like the teen years of your adulthood, so now that you are all grown UP, enjoy it. Hang in there.

So, Tara, life is what we make of it...and most of all I will say, enjoy it as you go, and then you won't look back with any regrets. We are all here to learn, and we have so much to be grateful. "Man is to have joy and have it abundantly."

Go for it.

Erma Bombeck had a list of things she wrote about of what she would do if she had her life to live over again. I will find it and add it, since it was something that Grandma Betty McIntire passed to me, and we can all learn from it.

Here it is:

If I Had My Life To Live Over
by Erma Bombeck

The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease.



If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...

I would have had more ice cream and desserts. You only live once!

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.

© Erma Bombeck

Here is a post script of her style of humor on motherhood etc...Isn't laughter is the best medicine?

"Mothers have to remember what food each child likes or dislikes, which one is allergic to penicillin and hamster fur, who gets carsick and who isn't kidding when he stands outside the bathroom door and tells you what's going to happen if he doesn't get in right away. It's tough. If they all have the same hair color they tend to run together."

"When your mother asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it's a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway."

"No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there's a wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick."

"When mothers talk about the depression of the empty nest, they're not mourning the passing of all those wet towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth, or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down the shower drain. They're upset because they've gone from supervisor of a child's life to a spectator. It's like being the vice president of the United States."