My Baby Sister is 40!

I really don't know how this happened but my baby sister is turning 40 today!  Somehow she is now older than me because I'm only 39 and have been for a few years!  Turning 40 wasn't so bad.  I figured that once you got over 40, you can pretty much do whatever you want and people just pass it off as being old. 

No really, I've become aware that I am now more of a mentor to younger mothers than the young mother.  I've been there, I've seen it and they want my advice.  Sometimes it suprises me that anyone would want my advice because I don't feel old enough to be giving anybody advice!  But then I begin to think about the things that I've experienced, the joy, the heartbreak, the sadness, the high times.  I begin to realize that I've survived over forty years, I may actually have some tidbits of wisdom to share. 

Now this does not mean that I know it all.  I certainly do not.  Age has also given me the wisdom to look for mentors in other people, people who have experienced more than me, or have a special gift for discernment that I do not have.  I think that's why old people are percieved as wise.  They begin to realize that it's ok to ask for help when they need it and it's always ok to pause and think about it before answering or reacting. 

My grandpa used to say, 'It's easier to change a no to a yes, you can't take back a yes." As I've gotten older, I am learning how true his words were.  I use the word no more and don't feel guilty about it.  I feel that if an activity I'm asked to join in I carefully weigh it against how it will effect my family.  Sometimes, the answer is yes, but often, the answer is no.  If it will not help or have a positive effect on my family, I simple turn down the offer.  It may be a very worthwhile cause but I can't do everything and often I am so pulled that I can't get anything done.  Saying no, opens up time for my family to fill it with postive things. 

Getting older is not so bad.  Especially since I'm living to 100!