Happy Birthday

All through the day today, I am not being presumptuous when I say that people will be singing me the most famous English song in the whole world: Happy birthday to You.

It is my birthday (which I, typically, forgot when I woke up this morning) and in a couple of hours, I should be attending a seminar in church, which will gather about two dozen people.

Church brethren remember birthdays. As a community, they thank the Lord for the milestone of every member of God's family.

A few days before today, though, my own family got the biggest scare. My right eye was bloodshot, like it had been punched by some heavyweight pugilist. I had the same thing before (at a much lesser degree), so I took it lightly. Alarmed friends, however, coerced me into having my blood pressure checked.

The numbers almost hit the roof—the highest I ever had in my life.

So I went to see my cardiologist, who confirmed that the burst eye blood vessel was caused by the alarming numbers. Immediately she put this little pill under my tongue. She also warned me that if the blood pressure doesn't go down in an hour, I should take another pill, and if that still wouldn't do it, she would have to confine me in the hospital.

The Lord who has taken care of me since birth may have put His mighty hand over me because the blood pressure came down in just half an hour. Then in a few more hours, it came back to normal.

What was that all about?

I am still trying to figure it out. But one thing is sure, it tells me that life is ephemeral and that events can take a u-turn for the worse or better for everyone. I had just posted a blog on dying and that holds true as I ponder my latest brush with the unknown. 

Meanwhile, I will say a million “thank yous” to everyone who will greet me today. I will celebrate the years and years of grace I have been favored with by Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

The biggest thank you of all goes to You, Lord, for . . . oh, the list is much too long for this blogsite!    

Photo credit