I think the words of wisdom that have meant the most to me came from the Ames Unitarian Universalist's first minister, Sydney Morris. The simple thought is full of promise:

"Our lives are constantly unfolding."

A late happy birthday, Deb. I miss you and the Blue Mooners. May your life unfold in beautiful ways.

Karol

Happy 40th B-day Deb!!

What a great idea for celebrating your birthday. Of course after reading all of the thoughts of your friends and family, I would love to meet them all in one great big birthday party.

As for my own contribution, here goes:

My memories of my youth was mostly filled with thoughts of endless energy. Running and playing for hours and hours. Also the gift of discovery. I love to this day discovering new things and ways to live. I also learned the lesson of compassion. Being brought up Catholic, I had a very special relationship with a nun. I would often accompany her to the local food bank where she tought me to give freely of myself without judgement of others. She was indeed a beautiful spirit.

I remember my teens as a time of deep connections to friends I still hold dear today. Those people with whom I can still correspond with and it's like we can just pick up where we left off. I also developed a deep appreciation of my mother who epitomizes unconditional love. Sometimes the teen years could be tough and she was able to handle all that I threw her way.

My twenties was the start of my current spiritual path. My own search for truth and what my place in the universe is. It is also the decade where I made a formal commitment to my life partner, Cindy to share our lives together.

My thirties was the decade where I learned of the connectiveness between myself and everyone and everything. It was the time when I came back to earth and saw the beauty in the physical realm.

My focus today is to create life in the shape that best suits me and my family. I also continue to develop my skills at living in the moment, not to let time slip by, because all we have is now.

Peace to you and all you know and thank you for your invitation to particiapte in your birthday celebration.

Namaste,

Mark

Sorry I'm late here, but don't birthdays last for weeks?

Happy happy, welcome to the 40s. You are a wonderful person, an honest spirit, and an inspiration to many.

0-10 stay out of trouble
11-19 look for trouble
20-29 be trouble
30-39 what's so great about trouble?
40-49 avoid trouble
50- today embrace trouble

everything changes, nothing changes
stay in the day
laugh more
grow

love,
cherishwit

Hope you had a great birthday, Deb!!

Hi Deb,
Happy belated birthday! Hope your day was wonderful. What a fun idea.
Here goes...

0-10 years----I received the gift of love and laughter, especially from my grandmother who taught me that when it rained, you went puddle jumping afterwards!

10-20---The gift of baking, from my mom and my grandmother, to this day I love baking and all the traditions and connections I feel when I bake.

20-30--I learned that when life doesn't go exactly how I want it and times get hard, that it is wise to ask for help!

30-40--Continued gifts and lessons from the earth, especially the waterfalls about my inner strength and my inner core, my essence.

40-current- I think this quote on a card that I received from my sister sums up best how I feel about this time period:
"She wasn't where she had been,
She wasn't where she was going...
but she was on her way.
And on her way she enjoyed food that wasn't fast,
friendships that held,
hearts glowing, hearts breaking,
smiles that caught tears,
paths trudged and alleys skipped.
And on her way she no longer looked for the answers,
but held close the two things
she knew for sure.
One, if a day carried
strength in the morning
peace in the evening,
and a little joy in between,
it was a good one...
and two, you can live
completely without
complete understanding.

She was on her way."

Take care, have fun and celebrate life! Your life!
I love ya,
Terry

Happy Birthday, Deb, as you celebrate 40 years of life experience!

I don't know if I can break my life into decades, per se. But I have tried over the years to attend to and appreciate the moment - even embracing, as best I could, the bad ones. I look for beauty and joy. I cherish my family and friends. I try to live authentically. Now in my 50's, I am trying to learn the art of living with intention - making choices with end goals in mind.

I think you have many of these qualities. You create beauty around you and bring meaning to what you do. It is a gift to those around you.

So may you feel a sense of fullness and richness as you travel into this next decade. There is so much more to come! Enjoy!

Nancy

Happy Birthday Deb!

Congratulations for making forty trips around the sun. You've sure come a long way over the years and still have so many wonderful adventures ahead of you!

Here are a few strengths I've developed and things I've learned over the years that will hopefully give you some inspiration across the miles.

0-10: During this decade I was embraced by love of those around me and filled with imagination that overflowed in everything I did. As I now witness my daughter grow through this period of her life, I am reminded that anything is possible and each day is a joy to cherish.

10-20: Over this decade I developed many strengths that I rely on each day. My love of nature, history, writing and helping others are things I practiced and nurtured as I struck out on my own to find my way in the world.

20-30: In this decade I experienced the growing pains and uncertainty of becoming independent from my parents and starting my own family. I got married, found my first "real job" and had a child of my own. I learned persistence in the face of doubt and how to accept things I could not change.

30-35: In this half decade I've become more settled and secure in my responsibilities and have discovered opportunities for new growth and personal renewal. As I watch my daughter grow, I am reminded of those things I learned as a child and am encouraged to strike out and try new challenges. I have met new people -like you!- that helped me realize the sacred spiritual connection that can exsist between true friends.

The Future: What does the future hold? I realize I am only able to grow as much as I am willing to stretch. Anything is possible if we believe in ourselves, each other and the transformative power of love.

I hope you can still feel my soul similing at you across the miles. Know that you are in my thoughts often and the bond of friendship we share is still very precious to me.

Happy Birthday and Happy Everyday, now and always.

Your Forever Friend,

Kyle

You didn't think I was going to miss signing your guest book did you, Sweetie?

I hope that you've gotten the insight and inspiration you were looking for when you came up with the idea for this guestbook. From reading the entries here, it looks like everyone else is getting something out of this, too.

I'm not surprised that you found a unique and creative way to celebrate your birthday with others, and to let them share in your experiences and insights. I'm glad I could help you express yourself to your friends and family, and help make your birthday something more than just a day spent observing a milestone.

I hope you've had a great birthday so far, and even though the day has officially passed, the birthday celebration isn't over yet!

I love you.

Happy belated Birthday Deb!!!

Hope your day went swell and Tucker didn't eat too much cake.

0-10: I learned how to have fun. Good times!

10-20: Met a lot of new and interesting people.

20-21: Trying to figure out what I want to do, but I am going to have fun trying to figure it out. Molly and I are in for an adventure.

I hope everything is going well in Ames. Again, Happy Birthday Deb!!! Hopefully next year I won't be a day late.

Best wishes.
Your friend,
Steven

Remember to put on sunscreen when you go out into the sun to climb trees and play on the monkey bars. Okay maybe I'll put the sunscreen on to climb trees if you'll do it when you hang upside down from the monkey bars. Ha! Be open to new ideas and remember not to take life too seriously. Enjoy each day as it comes. You have such a beautiful spirit. Enjoy the year you are forty. It only comes once. All my best.

Donna