Three Quarters of a Century!!!
- Connie Pearson
- May 17
- 5 min read
Today is a big one, a REALLY big one. Today is the day I have officially lived for 3/4 of a CENTURY. My 75th birthday. Whoa.
The Way Things Were
When I was born in 1950, life was much simpler. It was also far removed from the reality of today. Just take a look at a FEW of the things we have now that were NOT part of our lives when I came into the world:
Microwave ovens, Velcro, TV remote controls, Super Glue, commercial jet airliners, laser beams, pacemakers, cordless tools, satellites, video games, music synthesizers, bulletproof vests, coronary bypass surgeries, smoke detectors, ATMs, fiber optics, digital music, MRIs, barcodes, personal computers, GPS, Microsoft Word, DNA fingerprinting, Emails, caller IDs, DVDs, hybrid and electric cars, International Space Station, Bluetooth, Wikipedia, Wi-Fi, Facebook, Google Maps, YouTube, iPhones, Kindles, Bitcoin, Siri, 3D printing, laser and robotic surgeries, online shopping . . .
Yet somehow we muddled through.
Just think -- In 1962 when I was almost 12, I remember being glued to a black and white television set with my 5th grade classmates watching as John Glenn orbited the earth 3 times in his Friendship 7 space capsule. A year and a half later, the country was again transfixed by television images when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I'm THAT old.
As I review the quarter centuries I've lived through, memories flood my thoughts.
My First 25 Years
In my first quarter of my life, I did all the normal, expected things. Went to church, accepted Jesus, got baptized, started and finished elementary, junior high, high school, and college, married my Silver Fox, had our first child, helped him start his veterinary practice, and began teaching piano lessons.
What was UNexpected was all the moves in those years. Athens to Troy to Huntsville back to Troy to Birmingham to Decatur to Auburn back to Huntsville then to Hartselle -- 9 towns (in 15 houses that I can remember), all in Alabama.
We probably went out to dinner for my birthday -- maybe the Corral Restaurant in Hartselle -- but nothing elaborate -- because we were "poor as church mice." Not kidding.
A busy quarter.
My Second 25 Years
The second 25 years were spent entirely in Hartselle. I had two more babies, went back to college for another degree, taught public school music in Hartselle and Morgan County, was church pianist in one church and church organist in another. We started going on international mission trips and worked in Brazil, Guatemala, South Korea, Kenya, and Venezuela. We built our FIRST dream house. All three children graduated from high school, went to college and got married. Steve and I worked very hard, and God blessed our efforts.
We celebrated my 50th birthday with a fantastic, empty-nest trip to New York City -- a Broadway play, dinner at the top of the World Trade Center, shopping on 5th Avenue, watching the Yankees play the Red Sox, attending a service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, walking through Central Park, staying in Times Square, etc.
A busy, expensive, blessed quarter.
My Third 25 Years
Six months after I turned 50, our first grandchild was born. Sixteen months after I turned 50, 9-11 happened, and we watched the towers fall. Thirty-one months after my 50th birthday, Steve and I moved to Ecuador to serve as Southern Baptist missionaries. Two more grandchildren were born during the four years we were there. We returned home and went back to our former careers. I retired from teaching in 2010. From 2015 to 2023, I was a full-time travel writer and blogger. In the meantime, thirteen MORE grandchildren were added PLUS two great grandchildren. We built three more houses --- one in Decatur, one in Athens, and one in Hartselle. We moved back to Decatur (into a house someone else had built) in the summer of 2023, and Steve declares this to be our final landing point. I'm not arguing. Enough moving already! Also, during this quarter, I wrote 3 books and co-authored one with Steve.
A busy, fulfilling, productive quarter.
Where I Am Today
As I face/acknowledge/celebrate the milestone of turning 75, I realize how very blessed I am. I have outlived my mother by more than 19 years! Steve and I have a LARGE, loving, amazing family. We are in a church and Sunday School class that we are thrilled to be a part of. Steve continues to work part-time. I write because I want to, not because I have to. We have wonderful friends.
We are so grateful to be healthy and active. We just returned from an epic road trip to New Mexico and Arizona and have a trip planned to Greece and Turkey in July. THREE grandchildren are graduating from high school this month.
My birthday request was to spend some hours with my three children. Laura, Matt, and Julie came from Rome, GA, Franklin, TN, and Somerville, AL to have lunch, birthday cake, and lots of laughter with Steve and me. Anticipating flowers in the yard this summer, I suggested vases when asked for gift ideas. They came bearing gifts. The vases they chose represent their personalities perfectly, and I can't wait to put them to use.
A busy, blessed birthday.
Sharing May 17 With A Granddaughter
With so many grandchildren, it's no surprise that some of the family birthdays coincide. I am very pleased to share May 17 with my granddaughter, Margaret Rodgers. This is a significant birthday for her, as well. She is 18 today. No longer a child. A blindingly bright future ahead.
(It must be noted that grandson Luke Pearson will turn 20 tomorrow. He's a junior at Belmont University in Nashville. Luke and Margaret share a love for music, theater, and "putting on shows.")
Our 16 grandchildren, by the way, range in age from 24 years to 9 months.
I try very hard to not think about the NEXT quarter of my life, knowing that the odds aren't great that I will still be alive to celebrate my 100th birthday. God has a plan for the remainder of my life, and He has eternity in heaven with Him waiting when I die. Until then, I will do my best to enjoy every day, to stay positive, to laugh often, to love my family well, and to always be grateful for the days I am granted.
Comments