MY 40th BIRTHDAY-May 6,2008

This was my FOURTIETH birthday! What a year...what a life! When I was in kindergarten I remember thinking that my brother Steven was soooo much older than me, because he was in THIRD GRADE! I thought the third graders were so cool and soooo much older than me...It did'nt even go much farther than that for me, I guess because that was my goal....to be as "big and cool "as a third grader I guess. When I was in third grade I remember going to my sister Michelle's Class (she was Lisa then) and getting her attention and she knew what that meant...she would give me her glasses so I could borrow them for the rest of the school day without my mom and dad knowing so I could look "older and more mature" to my friends and I wanted to be as "big and cool" as Michelle was. I could go on and on, when I was 9 or 10 I wanted to already be 12 so I could be in Young Womans already, then at 12 I wanted to be 16 so I could be "big and cool" by driving and dating and so on.....I imagine some of that is fairly normal, and some of that was driven by my "growth challenges' so I wanted to compensate somehow, but it is crazy to me that whatever went on during those years in my progression....
I now of course cannot believe how fast those ages came and went....where did 40 years come and go?,...and have I made enough out of that time?, have I spent most of that time climbing as close to my potential at this time as I could have? Should have? For me , I say YES!...for atleast 2 reasons: one, as I watch my children grow and progess through their ages I have seen at times what appears to be wasted time, or unproductive spans...but as time has past I have seen more clearly that EVERYTHING that they engage in has taught them something about themselves and what they really want and the feelings they want to keep around and the ones they want to avoid! It short, it is making them who they are today and who THEY will be when they turn 40, 50....110! So, for my point,....I choose to believe the same has been my growth and progression pattern-- and every day, whether productive, happy, thrilling, rewarding,and peaceful or challenging, painful, unproductive,and fearful the gift of those days have accumulated into who I am today at 40, and I really like Stephanie Suzanne Du Bois Simmons, not only for who I am today and all the experiences, people, and love that have gone into who I am , but for the road I am on and if I stick to this road (no matter the bumps, and speed limits set along the way) and be patient and humble with all of the unexpected road construction and repairs that I will continue to run into.....
I am pleased with what ultimate joy and peace my life's road is leading to. So I guess what I am saying is HAPPY FORTIETH BIRTHDAY TO ME and even more importantly HAPPY FOURTIETH BIRTHDAY to all of you who have enlarged my capacities and my joys along my journey!
I said there were atleast 2 reasons....but really the 2nd reason has 6 sub-set reasons:
1.Ronald Brent Simmons-2. Rylan Brent 3. Shayli Suzanne 4. Selleka Marie 5. Syvanna Skylar
and last but definately not least, especially in energy...6. Ryker Ammon!
I really feel with those blessings alone, promised to me eternally, my Heavenly Father has granted me a life way beyond what I feel I have earned up to this point....thank goodness I have more than 40 mortal years to show my love and gratitude for this most divine plan of
happiness that we have been and will most definately keep living!