Half way to 90

For my recent birthday Tim gave me an amazing present. He collected  notes and stories from friends and complied them on a secret blog which he revealed to me on my birthday: http://annettes40again.blogspot.com/  You were on my mind whether you wrote in or not, as i explain below. Thank you for enriching my life!

Years ago I came across a book about Elizabeth Taylor and her jewelry. As I flipped through page after page of photographs of exquisite gemstones in their fabulous settings, I thought about the value and beauty of the people we know: the friends, family, and colleagues, the individuals and communities who pray for and support us economically, the individuals around the world who have opened their lives to us. I pictured them arrayed before me as unique and valuable as Taylor’s collection.

This image of our friends as jewels came back to me as I read the notes I received for my birthday. Each note was a reminder of a treasured relationship. Each note made me wish I could sit down over a meal with that person to enjoy the relationship again. The notes also made me remember friendships and expressions of love over the years from people who didn’t happened to write in this year.

In March 2011, Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection was valued at $150 million. On my birthday I felt infinitely richer.