****I Made it to 50!!! on this B-DAY.! Happy 4th All. Be Safe. Be Blessed.Have FUN

....I’m “almost” speechless..Note I said almost..I’d NOT be true to myself IF I didn’t say a few words..But I’ll use brevity(I’m still working on that; even at 50 yrs old..OMG I am 50 years old today..WOW) as I attempt to express(this might be an important thing for our sons to read 1 day/or our unborn grandchildren/or whoever) how I feel right this moment. Or better yet how I felt when I woke UP this morning at O’Dark Thirty on the day that marks the 50th YEAR I’ve been alive..Y’all ready for this??? >>

I’m almost in fear of writing too many words right now..What I am feeling is ALOT of emotions..Alot and very. What majority of y’all reading this do not know IS..There was a time onceuponatime ago; I did NOT think I’d make it to see my 50th birthday! And that is one of the many, many reasons this birthday is so, SO very special to me. I am very elated to be here. Still. Still standing. I am very blessed to be here! Still able to share, and to loveeeee, and to share love, and to try to give, give to others mayhaps a tidbit or 2 from my vast lifes’ experiences that just might make their journey a tad bit easier..(yep, I know thats an awful run -on sentence but right now not feeling like proofing) When I first woke this morning I first thought wooowwww I made IT. I am 50 today. Thank YOU my God for “allowing” to still be here. And then? Now this may sound crazy ; but I don’t care this is true stuff! I began looking at my fingers, my toes!, my legs, I reached up to touch my nose, my eyes, my ears!, I ran to the mirror…I just had to make sure ALL of my body parts were still there & in working order. I just had to SEE if I looked any different at 50 yrs old. I stood there in the mirror thinking , “Ok, this is what 50 yrs old looks like. I can deal with that. I am ready to do this 50s thing!” Now I won’t bore y’all with what came after that..Lets just say I balled like a baby. Nor am I ashamed to admit it. I am that happy. I am feeling that filled with emotion. They say sometimes pictures capture a million words..So I’ve found a few pictures to finish this special post. I’ve got a busy, busy day greeting our SONS at the airport..Yay! They are coming to celebrate 50 years of their Ma’s/Momma’s/Mom’s Life..From as far as California & Michigan; and I’m so excited I can barely see straight. I wish each & everyone reading this a very SAFE and fun 4th of July. Until I read/write y’all again stay UPlifted & blessed. 4ever sincere, Berna (the 1 N only)

..here are a few more I could not resist adding..I got carried away; BUT it is after all my birthday and I can do whatEVA I want today. Lol, lol!

AFTERthought= Because I blog without censoring and honestly without proofing..I tend to from time2time leave something out..So I’m piggybacking myself with this special sentiment..The MOST important & valuable LESSON I’ve learned at 50 years of Lifes’ Experience? Nothing and I mean NOTHING can replace nor even come close to being a substitute for FAMILY and LOVE. Luckily I’m Blessed; so those 2 things come hand in hand in my Life. I USED to take that for granted; until I met folks in my Life Journey who has neither. I’ll go one step further to say this..It was NOT until Life has stripped me BARE and NAKED of all MATERIAL things! that I came to truly! appreciate the things that matter most to ME. When I had absolutely NOTHING , literally had given away or sold allll of my material possessions(car, house, furniture, everything…) except for the clothes on my back(well and suitcases full and a ton of shoes, but everything else) and a very, very BIG box of 50 years worth of pictures of my sons, my parents, my husbands, my extended family of friends..When I had the very least, which was 0, did I begin to feel RICH. And I mean that will all of my heart, my soul, my being. It matters less than a hot dayum what type of car a person drives. Nor how expensive one’s home is NOR how many square feet in their home..Matters nothing to me what brand of clothes a person wears. Or how much one paid for a pair of shoes or purse or jewelry..Or anything. I don’t care how much money a person makes! What I RESPECT and need from those that I love/adore is to know who they are WITHout any material possesion..That to me is what matters. For? There are times in this Life we might just have no material possessions; and we still at those times have to love & respect Self. If WE get too connected to material things! we just might lose sight of that..The things that matter in this Life, I feel, are the things we can NOT see. Love, Fellowship, Togetherness, Love!, FAMILY, Friends & Friends & Friends, Laughter, Smiles! and LOVE.