STATON: Another year older and more thankful

Published 12:00 pm Friday, July 24, 2020

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Somewhere around 60 years ago, a cute young guy came to visit Kiddville Baptist Church with his aunt and one of her friends.

He caught my eye because he was so attractive.

Later on, our lives would cross in many ways at different times, through parties we would go to, our attending another church and even meals at my home.

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If anyone would have told either of us we would someday be married and would grow old together we would have told them they were crazy.

However, this week, my husband Eric reached a milestone in his life by turning 70 and I reached another milestone by turning 72.

Yes, I know, I either robbed the cradle or am considered a cougar.

A few weeks ago, our daughters, Kim and Shanda, told us not to plan to do anything on my birthday because they wanted us to go to Cave Run Lake and they were going to rent a pontoon boat for our birthdays.

We both were very excited when we heard this and were so looking forward to July 22.

It has only rained once that I can remember on my birthday, but guess what the forecast was for nearly every day this week? Thunderstorms!

That day, Kim, who lives in Louisville, called at 7 a.m. and said it was pouring rain there and she was not sure what we should do.

We made about six calls trying to decide just what we should do. Four people in our group had taken off work to go for our birthday celebration.

Then I began to feel worried. What if we got out on the lake and got struck by lightning? Would it have been worth it to me? I decided it would not, so I made another call to Shanda. After all, it is 2020 and anything could happen.

We talked awhile then we decided we would all take a chance on the weather and go.

I started doing some major praying, as did my daughters, and off we went to take a chance on the weather at Cave Run Lake.

We all met and loaded the pontoon. We went about a mile down the lake but the motor never sounded right. Soon, a foghorn sounded on the pontoon and we knew our suspicions were right.

We had to go back to the dock and change out pontoons. Like I said, it is 2020 and anything can go wrong.

I have to say, though, that was almost the last glitch of the day.

The prayers worked and we got in a full day on the lake. I got a little seasick from being in the sun on the water and had to get back in the pontoon for about an hour.

We had plenty of sunshine and fun. We only got wet the last five minutes of the day and we were ready to leave anyway.

My daughters told me I did not have to do anything but show up for the day, that they would bring the food. They both pitched in and we ate all day long and then met back at our house for dessert. It was a perfect day.

My brother, David, asked me once when I got stage four cancer at 62 how I wanted him to pray for me.

I told him to pray that I would live to be 72. It worked.

I wanted to be able to see what my youngest grandchildren would look like when they got old enough to be in high school and junior high. They are young adult-looking in their height and features. My little Simon even became a teenager this year. Life is good.

We even had a granddaughter get engaged this past week after seven years of dating the same guy. All of our grandchildren have grown up.

I feel so blessed that I have reached this milestone in my life.

I also feel so blessed that we took a chance on the weather that day.

I feel blessed that God has heard my prayers so many times in life.

Thank you to all who called, the gifts, the cards and to my family for making our birthdays so very special. This one will be hard to beat.

Sue Staton is a Clark County native. She is a wife, mother and grandmother who is active in her church, First United Methodist Church, and her homemakers group, Towne and Country Homemakers.