We adopted him when he was four months old. His given name was Chip. But that didn't fit him. He was Smokey from that day in August when our lives were forever joined.

Remember when someone told you that you weren't enough...not tall enough, skinny enough, pretty enough, young enough, old enough, smart enough, talented enough, experienced enough, rich enough, educated enough, sophisticated enough, conservative enough, liberal enough? If only you were enough. 

When I was young, I knew nothing about football. My high school was so small there weren't enough players to field a team, so I never learned the rules of the game.

My dad played football in high school when they had 8-man teams, but that was years before I was born. I cherish a photo of him playing quarterback in the 1920s, throwing the ball downfield.

Our past adventures and challenges don’t define us. Still, they shape who we are today, allowing us to be better or bitter, generous or greedy, kind or cruel, compassionate or confronting, open-hearted or walled-off. We get to choose the definition by which we will be known and how we relate to one another.

I remember like it was last week when I rang the doorbell. My Mom came to the door. She greeted me pleasantly, and I knew she had no idea who I was. I was in my 40s; she was in her 70s. When my dad could no longer care for her, she ultimately spent years in a nursing home and passed away when she was 85. I value that those who cared for her there respected her and seemed to know who she was and who she had been...kind, compassionate, generous, gracious, non-judgmental, understanding, and accepting of everyone.

I grew up in a family that valued a religious affiliation. I spent most of my life in church-related activities as a young person and for much of my adult life. Many of those experiences were positive; some were hurtful.

Typically, I like new beginnings. A new beginning can provide an opportunity to do it better next time, to start over, or maybe experience a new adventure.

There is always a choice, and sometimes the options are clear. But many times, the best way forward is unclear. Making any decision, for some, feels too difficult and results in procrastinating or not making a decision. A well-known American theologian, Harvey Cox, said, “Not to decide is to decide.” So, indecision is the decision.

I am fascinated by how one’s age impacts so many things: how you view yourself, how you think others see you, and how both affect one’s mental outlook. My husband has a saying, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”