66. Last December 27th I completed another circle around the sun. 66 to be exact. As I pondered that on my birthday, I began to wonder how that happened. How could I
be 66? Most days I still think of myself in my 40’s (until a stiff back or thinning hair tell
something different). My daughter is turning 40 this year. And my oldest grandson is 11. I
guess 66 makes some sense (sort of).

66. It’s probably the mid-fall of my life. And so I began to wonder how much of the day to day living of life I had missed in 66 years. I have a tendency to think ahead, plan ahead
and solve problems. That’s good in some ways. But I’ve also noticed it can mean I miss
what’s happening now because I’m thinking about tomorrow. How many todays have come and gone in my 66 years without much notice?

The last couple of years I’ve added 15-20 minutes of meditation to my daily devotional routine. Meditation is a disciple that helps people to pay attention. I think it helps me.
But I still feel like I’m missing some of the life happening right in front of me.

66. I was pondering this number when my daughter in law texted. She texted to say
“Happy Birthday.” I shared I wasn’t so sure I liked being 66. She wished me a Happy Birthday.

A few minutes later her son Brixton, my second oldest grandson, called. He called to say “Happy Birthday.” And then he said, “66 is a great number.” I replied, “Is it? Why do you think so?” Brixton answered, “Because 66 is the number on my New Castle football jersey.” To which I replied, “Well, yes it is. And 66 is a great number.”

We hung up a few minutes later. But something had changed. Now 66 felt good. It
was a good number. Why? Because it was my grandson’s jersey number. And that’s a good thing.

It’s a simple thing to speak kind words to people. And sometimes it makes a big difference. Like “66 is a great number, grandpa.” And so it became.

February 14th is Valentine’s Day. Certainly it’s a day to celebrate romantic love. But
it’s also a good reminder to practice other types of love in speaking kind words to people we know and don’t know. I suspect those words make more a difference than we often believe. In a season and culture of too many sharp and hurtful words I believe followers of Jesus can be different. We can make any number “a great number.”

66 for Another Year,
Glenn