Forty (Plus)

I experienced wonderful memories of forty years...birthdays, anniversary, blessings. This is an amazing number in the Bible. Moses left Egypt at 40 years old. The Israelites were in the desert for 40 years. Isaac was 40 when he took Rebecca for his wife. Jesus was in the desert for 40 days. You may be a scholar about numbers, I am not. But, I do know that most people ( me included) have mixed emotions about their 40th birthday. Some how we feel we should have grown up and yet we feel old before we are ready. Inside we say," I still feel 18, how did I get this old. Admit it!!! We had these wonderful friends that lived in Florida, Claudia and Roger Gumbinner. We tried to be faithful (if finances and kids allowed) to see each other at least once a year. Most years, the trip from Florida to Houston or Houston to Florida was made by us girls.(Excuse me, women.)In 1987, Billy and Roger told Claudia and I that we could plan a girls weekend to celebrate our 40th birthdays. We were so excited. We spent many phone calls to each other and resorts planning a SPA weekend. We were going to have facials, messages, some exercise classes. You know at 40 some parts of the body need extra work. Well, the closer it came to setting the date, Billy and Roger became very interested in helping us with our plans. Somehow, in all the confusion the trip was set. We (now it was all four of us)were going to Pinehurst in North Carolina. This is a golf resort? Claudia and I don't play golf? Maybe there is a Spa there? Nope.. When we arrived, the closest thing to a Spa was the YWCA. We found a locker and a way to exercise. We laughed more than we exercised. We got the golf pro to help us surprise Roger and Billy in the middle of the course. We were behind a tree on something like the 12th hole and jumped out from a tree when they were on the tee box. We did have wonderful meals and of course enjoyed the blessing of our friendship. Roger went to be with Jesus on December 6,2003.Billy followed him 4 years,6months and 3 days later. Both,loved Jesus and their wives and families. Both loved and studied the word of God daily. The blessing of this 40th birthday memory is worth more than gold or silver or any Spa.