KristyWes

A quarter past 28...

Today is my quarter-birthday! That means I am a quarter-year into 28, and three-quarters of a year away from....29. (don't cry, don't cry, there's no crying on quarter-birthdays) Monumental milestones like today require some reflection and self-evaluation. Here goes.

When I turned 25, I regretted having not accomplished all the things I thought I should have accomplished by that age. This included a) becoming a professional tap dancer, b) writing my first book, and c) appearing on the David Letterman show. Three and a quarter years later, I still haven't accomplished these three things! What exactly have I been doing with myself?

Answer: Working in the student loan industry. Question: But why? Answer: It pays the bills. Solution (stolen from Office Space): Don't go to work and don't pay bills any more.

It is a time-honored tradition (that I just made up) for those celebrating their 28.25 birthdays to lament the passing of time and panic about all they must accomplish in the next nine months before (gulp) the big 2-9. I am really, really good at this tradition.

But lest my lamentations drive me to despair, I must stop and recognize the other significance of March 30th: Fifteen years ago on this date, I was baptized.

My reasons for getting baptized back then were questionable, and it wasn't until 7 or 8 years later that I would come to really know Jesus, and understand how my identification with Him in His death guaranteed me a life eternal. It took awhile to stop rebelling and start recognizing that seed that was planted in me on March 30, 1991. But better late than never.

And now: does the same better-late-than-never philosophy hold true for a professional tap dancing career? Maybe. With God, all things are possible.

In conclusion, March 30th is a day to rejoice that God calls me His own - and not to despair that Letterman has never called me. May I be ever mindful that 28.25 years is nothing compared to eternity. And thanks be to God for abundant and eternal life!