This week marks two milestones in my life.

On July 3rd, eleven years ago, I began what became a weekly practice of writing a blog. That’s 572 posts, an average of 600 words each, adding up to more than 343,000 heartfelt words.

And on July 2nd, sixty-eight years ago, I began my life.

I have no idea how many words I’ve spoken, written, or sung. How many lives I’ve touched or have touched mine. I’ve lived with dogs, cats, birds, and people. I’ve made my home in seven U.S. states, traveled to many more, and visited some 20 countries around the globe.

That’s a lot of words, years, experiences, and miles. Through all of it, I have come to believe five basic truths:

Kindness matters.

God may or may not exist.

Dogs are good companions.

People can grow, but they do not change.

Judaism enriches lives, mine and so many others.

Although I care deeply about supporting charitable organizations, each year on my birthday I ask people to do random acts of kindness instead of donating in my name. Our world needs more kindness—much more.

One more thing: I am a cancer survivor. It has given me great strength, though it also brings periodic episodes of worry. But absent a recurrence, I know this: after 68 years, my body is beginning to fail in various unexpected ways—and that’s okay. I’ve lived 26 years beyond the dark day when a surgeon told me I would not live another 24 months.

This week, as I celebrate both milestones, I am grateful. Grateful to you, who pause in your own life to read my words. And grateful to God, who may or may not exist.