What I Want for my Birthday

My birthday is coming up. As a matter of fact, by the time you read this, I will have kissed one decade goodbye and said hello to a new one. But no worries. Birthdays don’t really bother me. Hey, considering the alternative, I’d say a birthday really is a cause for celebration!

My daughter has been asking me for weeks, “Mom, what do you want for your birthday?” I haven’t been able to come up with a good answer to that question, because honestly, I have everything I really want. I am very blessed. I have a family and friends who love me, a warm, cozy place to live, a car that gets me where I need to go, and a mall within close driving distance. I have a coffee pot on my counter, and an almost full can of coffee in the pantry. Life is good.

But, after giving her question much thought, I have come up with a list of things I want. Here, in random order, is my ultimate wish-list.

I want . . .

1. World peace.

2. Everyone to just be nice to each other.

3. My twenty-year-old body back.

4. A big, juicy, bacon cheeseburger from Mel’s.

5. All of our soldiers to come home safely.

6. A maid.

7. A butler.

8. A chef.

9. An automatic mean-person, gossip buster, that will zap anyone who forgets to just be nice. (Oh, I guess that wouldn’t be nice. But this is my list, so my actions don’t count.)

10. A peppermint chip Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Why do they only make those in December?

11. For my parents to live long, healthy lives, and to die only one day before I do.

12. To die peacefully in my sleep, after a long and prosperous life.

13. To win a Nobel Prize for literature.

14. To be an invited guest at the White House.

15. For my children to grow up to be happy, responsible citizens.

16. For my children to stay little.

17. To always be able to find my remote phone when it rings.

18. For the Bulldawgs to win the state championship next year.

19. Longer legs.

20. For one of those home-makeover shows to come and clean out my garage for me.

I know, I know. The chances I’m going to get everything on my list are, well, zero. But I’m from the “Aim for the Stars” school of thought. If I set my sites high, one or two of my wishes might actually come true. Oh, pardon me a minute, would you? My phone is ringing . . . ringing . . . ringing . . . where is that thing, anyway? Oh, there it is.

“Hello? Oh, hi!” (It’s one of my dearest friends.) “What’s that? You want to take me to Mel’s Burgers for my birthday? You bet! I’ll meet you there at 1:00.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”