For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. (Prov. 9:11)

Happy birthday month to me!

Yes, that’s right—my forty-fourth birthday fell on Friday, August 13. I’m a big fan of Friday the 13th birthdays. I hold none of the superstitions about the date, and I feel a comradeship with others who were born on the thirteenth of any month due to the suspicious view of the number thirteen. I, on the other hand, think it’s fun.

My earliest birthday memory was when I turned five. My mom baked a chocolate cake in the shape of Strawberry Shortcake and decorated it for me. And I had a birthday party at the Cordell park. There were so many people there—I can still remember my mom slicing the cake and all the party-goers coming by for a piece while my shy self stayed glued to her side. I knew the people, but not well—they were people we went to church with, and they came out in full force to celebrate my birthday.

Times have changed. I’m older now, and birthday celebrations are quieter. I prefer to “make memories,” as one friend calls it, so I’ll go eat with friends and tour a couple of art museums. Maybe I’ll have ice cream or a chocolate chip cookie or both.

I heard recently that forty-four is the age at which women feel most depressed. I can’t find the science to back that up, but it is true that middle-aged women have the highest rates of depression. The reasoning is that our lives look so different from what we imagined when we were younger. We may be divorced or experiencing an empty nest or taking care of an aging parent. If you’re like me, you’re dealing with the fact that you never had kids at all. Our bodies start to betray us around this age, and we wonder what the future will bring.

Writing that I’m middle-aged is enough to make me depressed, but I’m determined to defy those statistics. I’m a positive person by nature. And I enjoy celebrating my birthday. It’s a time to reflect on the past and discover what I can do differently and better, and it’s a time to look to the future and set new goals.

I can’t wait to see what this next year will bring.

Dear Jesus, thank you for another birthday and for the people who help me make memories by celebrating with me. Guide me in the coming year and help me make the most of my time. Amen.