I can’t believe in a few short days, I’ll close another decade of my life and embrace a new one. Forty. I’ll be forty. How did that happen?!

Last year, when I visited my ophthamologist for a third failed glaucoma test (yeah, I know. It was a whole thing), she very casually noted, “Oh, your cataracts have gotten a little bigger too.”

“Um, excuse me? My cataracts?”

“Yeah, but it’s no big deal. We’ll just note it in your record. And you’ll probably need bifocals within the next few years as well.”

I scoffed. I actually scoffed. 

“Bifocals? Cataracts? I’m sorry. Maybe you have the wrong patient.” I leaned in closer as though sharing a deep secret. “I’m a Millennial. Millennials don’t have cataracts. And they don’t need bifocals.”

Without missing a beat, she replied, “Well. This Millennial does.”

Ouch. 

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about getting older and hitting my forties, when she shrugged like it was no big deal. “Honestly, my forties have been the best decade.”

It was probably the first time I’d ever heard anyone call their forties the best time of their lives. But then it got me thinking about how well my thirties have treated me. And so I’d like to go back in time with you and count the many blessings God has given me and my family in the last ten years. 

1. I became a mom. There was a time I didn’t think it’d ever happen. And when I miscarried in my very first pregnancy shortly after turning 30, I felt like giving up. But then God blessed us with our oldest, Parker. Four-and-a-half years later, we welcomed our youngest son, Grayson. Both boys can be challenging at times, and I don’t always do this whole parenting thing well, but I am so grateful for both. And to my friends who are experiencing similar challenges, I pray God blesses you all tenfold, in whatever way He chooses. 

2. I went on several mission trips. Before we had children, Frank and I would visit our friends in Nicaragua and we’d take a team from our church to put on a Vacation Bible School for a small village called Citalapa. I’ve been about 6 or 7 times since our late twenties. My last year going was in 2014 because in 2015, I was pregnant with Parker, but I still organized the trip for 18 others to go. Those were some of the best times in my life and I’ll always look back on those trips and smile. 

3. I continued my education. God paved the way for me to earn my master’s degree. In the UNC System, full-time employees can enroll in up to three classes per academic year for free. Parker was almost 1 when I went to my first grad school class. Three years later, I graduated. That master’s degree has so far led to two promotions within my department. I’m so grateful for that opportunity.

4. I gained career clarity. I love my career. Some days it’s hard and I think about other things I’d do if I could, but I can honestly say I wake up each day looking forward to going to work. (Well. Most days, anyway). In my position, I help students navigate their career paths and plan for their futures. My absolute favorite part is when they come back to tell me they got into all of their graduate school programs, or they got the competitive internship they wanted, or they got their first fulltime job. God has blessed me with a career I find fulfilling. 

5. I wrote a book. When I was in the fourth grade and won a school contest for a short story I wrote, I told my mother I wanted to be an author. But some time between fourth grade and college, I talked myself out of it. And then put it out of my mind. But God remembered, and He gave me a great story to tell. Even if it’s never published, I’m proud that I finished it (and am working on, like, three more!)

So, maybe turning 40 isn’t all bad. In fact, maybe it’s good. If God blessed me that much in my 30s, I’m excited to see Him work in and through me in my 40s. So–here’s to 40. Let’s see what’s in store.