This week I celebrated my 46th birthday!  Yes, I really did just say that out loud.  I’m quite OK with it though really.

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My bday cake with backwards numbers.

In fact I appreciate things so much more now that I’m older and I feel like life is a little easier in some ways.  I’m much more secure with myself and I really don’t care so much about things that used to bother me like how much I weigh, what people think of me or even that I didn’t mop my floors before a friend comes over.

Birthdays usually cause me to reflect on my life a little more, I’m sure they do for everyone.  I think about things like what I’ve accomplished so far, have I grown spiritually, am I taking care of my health the best way I can, how blessed I am, and whether or not my life is really making a difference?

I was thinking how the past 8 years have been spent being ill, some years worse than others.  Years of studying tick-borne infections, trying to figure out how get better, how to get my children better and to be free from sickness and doctors and medical bills.

In a way, being 46 and having been sick for so long is discouraging.   At 38 I already felt like I was an old woman, barely able to walk, stand up straight, walk down the stairs or do everyday tasks without intense pain.  I had already suffered mild dementia and spent more hours in the doctor’s office and in labs than I’ve ever thought I would.

In a way, I could feel a little cheated out of some of the best years of my life but the truly sad thing is that I’m not the only one.  So many of you are in the same boat.  So many people and their children are ill and struggling to find their health, to feel better, and to make the most out of their suffering.

I tell myself that just because I’m 46 now it doesn’t mean life is going to go down hill from here or that I’ll never feel great or be strong or in good health.  Truly my life is in God’s hands to do with what He chooses. 

I can work towards good health at my age, people do it all the time.  I was inspired a few years ago by a news report of the 70 something year old woman who decided to get healthy and strong, she worked out daily and ate a healthy diet.  She looked marvelous, she was strong and doing things that so many of us in our early years aren’t doing.

So, I’m 46 now and I’ve decided that I’m going to embrace the wisdom I’ve gained from my years of struggle and the things that I’ve learned from so many others.  I’ve decided that my goal for this year is to get back to eating as healthy as I can and to start an exercise routine in order to strengthen my body and regain my health as much as I can.

I’m going to continue to devote my life to Christ and to helping others.  I’m going to be thankful for every blessing I receive and the ones I already have.

I want to help others understand tick-borne infections, how to prevent them and how to heal from them if they find themselves already infected.

I’m not obsessed with Lyme disease but my life has been changed because of it.  It is the fastest growing infectious disease around the world and it is highly disregarded.

The pain and suffering it causes can be life altering and so my heart is to share information and get the word out so that no one else has to suffer, because what I didn’t know 8 years ago could have prevented my children from being sick with chronic tick-borne infections.  It could help you too.

I had a wonderful birthday celebrating my 46th year and now I’m looking forward to spending this year making great things happen.