40 is old!

Imagine 20 cars driving down the road with flashers blinking, children hanging out of sunroofs, and dirge music blasting out of a speaker strapped to the top of the lead car.  Now imagine that line of obnoxiousness turning into your driveway, surrounding your house and spilling out what appears to be hundreds if not thousands of people.  At some point during the madness you realize that these people are your family and friends and you're being handed 40 black balloons one by one.  Last Saturday we accosted my unassuming much older sister with a surprise party a month before her 40th birthday.  The heat was true to Mississippi form but the music was groovy, the water play was filled with laughter and the Little Dooey's was delicious.

There's just something about having people from all stages of your long 40 years come together to celebrate.  God's goodness permeated through memories both recent and those that have been told and retold dozens of times and are still as funny as the day they were born.  His goodness was also very apparent as we were peppered with water balloons by our very own offspring.  It was a wonderful party that even included the proverbial cake fight between the town prankster and an innocent bystander.  It was a special day celebrating a special lady.