It is the morning of my 58th birthday as I write this. That actually means I have lived 58 full years here on Earth and am starting into day one of my 59th. That is a lot of miles under the hood. When I looked in my mirror this morning I could see the wear and tear on my body too. My hair was sparse and silver. My skin was thin. My face was full of age spots. And my wrinkles were chiseled deep into my skin. Yet, when I smiled and I saw them curl up around my eyes and the corners of my mouth, I had to admit that they didn’t look half bad.

I thought of how much laughter and how many thousands of smiles it had taken to make them that deep and it made me smile again. In my 58 years here I have shared a lot of love, a lot of laughter, a lot of smiles, and a lot of joy. I have done countless acts of kindness asking nothing in return. I have spoken sweet words, done good things, and tried my best to live my life the way that God wanted me to. I haven’t always succeeded of course, but I know that God forgives me when I mess up and that each new day here is another chance to live and to love.

I know too that I am not alone in this. The vast majority of us are good people, doing good things, sharing kindness and love, and trying each day to make the world a better place. We are all here to make a difference with our lives and God smiles down upon us every time we do. We all know that life has a purpose and that purpose is to Love. No act of love or kindness is too small either. As Emily Dickinson once wrote: “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”

No matter how many years you have lived here then remember that each day here is a new beginning. Each day here is a new birthday. Embrace them all. Fill them with goodness. Live them with smiles, laughter, and joy. Be kind, share all the Love you can, and make God smile.