Happy Number

Recently, I celebrated my 44th birthday. For me this number held little meaning other than my father used to tell me it was his old high school football number. I’m ashamed to say that’s all I remember. I don’t know the name of my father’s high school, I’m not clear what position he played, and I have never even seen a picture of my dad from those teen years. Maybe that’s why I cared so little; it just didn’t seem real. When I played volleyball and basketball in junior high, Dad always told me, “See if you can get number 44.” Try as I might, it was not to be – 42 was as close as I could get. Oh well, no big deal.

I decided to check Wikipedia.org to see what I could find out about my new age. I’d like to say it was due to my unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding, but it was mostly because I was trying to avoid doing any actual work or chores. I figured I could stall about 10 minutes if I appeared busy on the computer.

Did you know that 44 is:

- a poker game
- a name in a Mark Twain novel
- the number of famous running backs in football
(Hey, maybe Dad was a running back.)
- the name of a popular cough suppressant
- in mathematics, a happy number

Since I didn’t understand the technical definition of a happy number (snore), I decided that for me, 44 would have a special meaning. It’s not just a happy number, but also a year of life that I don’t want to take for granted. I want to take time to cherish each day; take time to listen to my sons and pay attention to what they are sharing with me. Certainly I can stop washing dishes for a minute or two as my 8 year old describes his latest Lego invention or my eldest talks web design lingo that is way over my head. I want to take time to listen to my husband and remember that he’s putting in long hours managing his firm in order for me to have the pleasure of managing our home. I want to listen to my body and be proud of my abilities to run and be active. It doesn’t matter that my figure isn’t, and probably will never be, perfect. Most importantly I want to listen to my Savior, who is preparing a place for me in His kingdom come. I want to dwell in His promises to deny any lingering doubt. And, if Dad were still alive, I’d give him a call and I’d let him know, “Hey, I’ve got your number.”