This is the “wrap” for my 6oth Birthday festivities! The actual day was Saturday, right in the middle of Easter observances at our church; so we waited until Sunday evening for the official party, driving to Richmond to be with Naomi, Craig, and the grandchildren.

My parents drove up with us; plus Naomi invited the pastor from her church, along with Rachel and Tom from Virginia Beach (Rachel is Rebekah’s sister).

I really missed seeing Andrew and Alicia; but Uzbekistan is nine time-zones away and just about as accessible as the moon. The gathering did, however, represent a microcosm of what is truly important: immediate family, extended family, and the community of faith.

BIRTHDAY LIST: Here – at least in part – is what I celebrated (what I am celebrating):

• the essential goodness of life, and my gratitude for the countless blessings I have enjoyed;
• the indescribable gift of Rebekah, and the impossible to calibrate blessing of sharing this ongoing journey together;
• the consistent faithfulness of God’s love over 60 years of living;
• the amazing scope of this adventure, and how I never could have imagined or planned something this wondrous;
• the gift of an extended family, and the constant extension of our family (Andrew, Naomi, Craig, Alicia, David, Beks…);
• the gift of freedom;
• the blessing of peace;
• the challenges that continually push my learning curve;
• the uncharted opportunities that will define the next decade, and the ones after that….

Obviously this is a truncated list. But that’s the point. There is so much that I have to celebrate – so much that we all have to celebrate, and so the best I can do (in response to this momentary pause in the action to have a party)… is to simply get on with it, get back to living – to live faith out loud, and engage the road ahead.

But I’ll be engaging the future with renewed – and inspired – vigor. Going forward I’m going to live like I mean it, because God certainly meant something spectacular when I was imagined, created, equipped, and launched into this life.

– DEREK

Here are a few pictures that help to explain the celebration ( a bunch of these are by Naomi)….

My parents with Beks

Naomi and the grands

Me, Rebekah and the grands in the middle; then – left to right – Naomi, Craig, Tom, Rachel, David, Grace, James and Caitlin (preacher and husband)

fun with bubbles