Last week was my 50th birthday. I always like reflecting at birthdays, at any day, so this birthday wasn’t really anymore special or significant than any other birthday or lifeday in Dan Miller River thus far. I will say, though, that one primary thought kept coming back to me as I pondered 50 years.

It was my marriage.

I kept thinking about how important and pivotal my marriage was and continues to be. It’s one of the most vital elements in my River.

I wonder what it is for you. When you reflect back over long and lengthy stretches of your personal River, what stands out first as the thought that occupies your mind? It doesn’t have to be marriage, it can be something else. Whatever it is, I believe that it looms large for a reason. For me, it’s likely two-fold–I married relatively late in life and view my wife as one of the two or three best people I have ever known (or will ever know). 

So, what’s your biggest first thought and why do you think it has such a place in your mind?