Today, I am grateful for Sam. It is his birthday, and he deserves the best of the best of the best. I thought it was interesting that my devotion this morning in Dad’s devotion book was all about the way Sam lives his life.

Have you smiled at someone today? Held a door open? Let someone slip ahead of you in traffic? Changed a diaper? Written a check to charity?

Do any of those things make you more acceptable to God?

There’s a biblical balance when it comes to acts of kindness and good deeds. Our lives should be filled with them, as flowers filling a springtime meadow. But we don’t labor for the Lord from necessity but from love. The aim of spiritual maturity isn’t to become more acceptable to God, for we are already fully accepted by Him through the blood of Christ. When we’re justified by grace through faith, the righteousness of Christ is credited to our account. Thereafter we live a life of service because we love Him who has already accepted us in Christ.

Never worry about whether God loves you. If you know Christ as Savior, don’t feel you have to win God’s favor. You have all His grace for all your needs. Just serve Him with a desire to please Him in all you do and say.

Good works cannot put us right, but they necessarily follow when we are right; they are the natural fruit and the ordained sphere of the new creature in Christ Jesus. – Bernard H. Nadal

I just had a moment. I was sitting at my desk talking to my boss while peeling what I thought was a “Cutie” or “Halo” orange – you know, those little sweet extremely peel-able things that have no seeds. And what did I discover as I popped a segment into my mouth? SEEDS! I immediately got grouchy and crabby and cranky…you know, Maxine old. How entitled and spoiled have I become that a seed in an orange makes me cranky?!

I am grateful that I do not “get” the whole hashtag Twitter tweet Instagram Vine Pinterest lingo.  I somehow signed up for a Pinterest account, who knows how, and I keep getting all of these messages saying that people I know are now following my Pinterest account. I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO ACCESS A PINTEREST ACCOUNT. WHAT IN THE WORLD.

I’m old and I love being this way. I’m old and I am married to a young man who feels the same way I do. We are satisfied with life (with the exception of seeds in oranges and watermelons), we are satisfied with the ancient system of EMAIL, and Facebook and Linkedin are as far as I delve into the world of technology, thank you very much.

That was a “SQUIRREL!” moment. Back to the reason I am so grateful today:

When you’re 64, yes, I will still need you, and I will still feed you.

I am grateful for this man who holds my hand every time we pray.

I am grateful for this man who loves my family.

I am grateful for this man who has the most generous spirit.

I am grateful for this man who makes me laugh when he dances.

I am grateful for this man who taught me that pineapple plants do not grow in fields in Kansas – it’s called MILO. And grateful that he taught me about yields and moisture content. And grateful that he comes to life even more than normal when he is on the farm.

I am grateful for this man who loves to sing.

I am grateful for this man who says the words, “I am sorry” and truly means them. 

I am grateful for this man who loves his Mom and Dad, his daughter, and his brothers and sister and their families so much that he looks forward to the next time he will see them, dreams of their visits and trips we could take with them, and his face lights up every time he talks about them.

I am grateful for this man who helped me tackle my fear of motorcycles.

I am grateful for this man who faces unfairness by holding his head high and not having an ounce of revenge in his being.

I am grateful for this man who loves ice cream before bedtime, just like me.

I am grateful for this man who values family and makes sure his employees’ families are a priority.

I am grateful for this man who appreciates a good fanny pack and doesn’t care what the rest of the world thinks.

Is life not full of opportunities for learning love? Every man and woman, every day, has a thousand of them… And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love. – Henry Drummond

I am grateful for this man who is teaching me how to forgive others even if they are never repentant or remorseful.

I am grateful for this man who tells me he loves me many times a day.

I am grateful for this man who turns the light on the flowers that he gave to me so that when I walk into the room, they are the first thing I see. 

I am grateful for this man who does not want any recognition but would rather do for others quietly and in the background and will probably cringe at this post.

I am grateful for this man who is so patient and is a great teacher when it comes to Excel and accounting.

I am grateful that Sam’s life bears much fruit and shows that God is working in him.

I am grateful that we are growing old together. Thank you for the love and the laughter and the living again. Happy birthday, Sam.