Halfway There

By: Dan Munizzi

Well, today I turn 50 years old..a “half-century”..”the big 5-0!” In the last 6 months or so, as I have been approaching this “milestone” birthday,

I have been reflecting on my life, as I imagine most of us do when we get close to such a significant landmark. I’ve been having the typical “what have I accomplished”..”what kind of impact have I made in the world?”..”what kind of legacy am I leaving?” kind of thoughts that I’m sure most of us “half-centenarians” have.

There are many things that come to mind as I start thinking back..graduating high school close to the top of my class..skipping College and entering the workplace on the ground floor of the retail industry (The big ‘K’) and working my way up to Area Manager after 3 short years..then spending the next 10+ years in the residential construction industry, where I helped build close to 500 homes, some of them Award winners..then subsequently spending the next 15 years helping to build an international music ministry and record label, and along the way collecting multiple industry Awards, accolades, and recognition among my peers.

Some might say from the outside looking in that I have every right to be proud of these so-called “accomplishments”, and let me say before I go any further that God and He alone gets all of the glory and credit for everything I’ve listed up to this point (and beyond!). But in retrospect, all of that pales in comparison to the two biggest accomplishments that I am most proud of; the first one being; meeting, marrying, and spending the last 25 years married to the love of my life and soulmate, my wife Martha, for which I am eternally grateful; to God first and then to her; and the second and probably the biggest and most meaningful accomplishment has to be the awesome privilege of helping raise the 3 precious gifts (our son & two daughters) that God has blessed us with.

We have been parents now for close to 20 years, and I am reminded almost daily of the scripture verse that says, “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Every day I am amazed at God’s unending grace and mercy as I watch our kids grow and develop into the destiny that God has laid out for them, and just being able to play a part in that makes me proud, and yet is incredibly humbling at the same time. I am extremely thankful and grateful for all that God has blessed me with, and if the first 50 years are any indication, I can’t wait to see what the next 50 is going to bring!!