A 75th Birthday

 Sky View Ridge

a 75th birthday

You did not arrive at this ridge

by accident.

The wind knows your name,

the earth remembers your footsteps.

There is something to be said

for escaping

to a hill that breathes

with red thyme and morning light.

Where cabins rise like wishes,

quiet and full of listening.

You have dreamed in the language

of valleys and ridge lines,

you return to build a sanctuary,

with gratitude and intention.

You name your shelters

after the future.

Let them hold laughter,

the scent of joy,

and family love.

At seventy-five,

you are not winding down.

You are becoming 

the one who knows

that peace is not a place you visit,

but one you make

with patience,

and love that does not ask for applause.

So blow out the candles,

plant the thyme,

welcome the quiet travelers

who will come seeking

what you already know ~ 

That heaven is a hillside

with a porch,

a sky full of stars,

and your name

written gently

into the land.

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