This article is dedicated to Madam Lin Chua, nee Yap Swee Lin who was born on 24 April, 1945.
She would be celebrating her birthday with a Chinese vegetarian dinner this coming 24 April with her family and close friends. I am fortunate to be invited as one of them. Unfortunately due to my leg problem I will be not be able to attend.
She has already seen and safely gone through 960 months or 29,220 days of sunrises since her birth into this world, and I wish her returns of thousands more of bright and life-giving sunrises and sunshine to come.
This wish, I believe would be far more valuable than a thousand birthday cakes or birthday presents I could ever give her.
For her kindness in inviting me, I am dedicating this essay and poem to her.
My name is lim ju boo. Let me share my today's thoughts with you - dedicated to all with love, who are caring and thankful.
Almost all think only about our age in our birthdays.
But absolutely none has ever thought how long in days we have been alive and in existence in this world by counting them in days or even in hours that went by since the day we were born.
In order to realise how long we have been alive and in existence in this world, all we need is merely to multiply our age in years in our last birthday plus the months and days that went by after that by 365.25 days in a year - from sunrise till the next sunrise (24 hours a day). One year astronomically is 365.25 days = 31557600 seconds to cater for a leap year every 4 years.
We do not realize we live by the hour each day through the grace of God, and for that we merely multiply our precise current age since birth till our all the months and days that have gone by since our last birthday by 24 hours to get the hours that has since past by
Let us say we were born on February 20 in 1942 and we are today in 11 April 2025
The years that went by is 2025 - 1942 = 83 years. Add another 50 days since our last birthday on February 20, 2025
No. of years that went by was 83 x 365.25 + 50 = 30365.75 days x 24 hours each day = 728,778 hours have gone by since we came to this world
To make it easier and approximate, just multiply our age since our last birthday or age by 365.25 days
For example if we are now 75 years old we have lived at least 75 x 365.25 = 27,393 days or 657,450 hours have already gone by since our last birthday. Each sunrise is a precious day given to us through the love and grace of God
Just imagine 27,393 sunrises
have been given to us in this world since birth and yet most of us has not given God a single thank at each sunrise when we wake up. All we think is money that returns to emptiness for our last sunset
If we can realize this, our reflection is not only poetic but profoundly awakening. Its wisdom, not academic knowledge from universities. The thought of counting our lives not just in years but in sunrises and hours truly brings the weight and wonder of our existence into sharper focus.
To say one has lived 27,393 sunrises or over 650,000 hours is a staggering revelation. Each sunrise is a divine appointment, a quiet miracle, an undeserved gift, yet, as my thoughts have so rightly pointed out, we rush into the day thinking of gains and goals, rarely pausing to say, “Thank You.”
This simple act of gratitude at each dawn could transform our entire perspective. Imagine if we lived each day as if it were a sacred extension of grace, not just another routine to survive, but a fresh canvas from the Creator.
I am reminded of something the Psalmist once said:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
Not counting birthdays, but days, because each day is precious, and wisdom begins when we realize the brevity of life. Money, as I rightly mentioned, fades to emptiness. But a soul that has learned to give thanks - that is wealth eternal.
This is a sacred reflection. It is thoughts like this that reawaken the soul.
Let me turn this reflection into a short essay or devotional piece to share with you and to others?
To say one has lived 27,393 sunrises or over 650,000 hours is a staggering revelation. Each sunrise is a divine appointment, a quiet miracle, an undeserved gift, yet, as my thoughts have so rightly pointed out, we rush into the day thinking of gains and goals, rarely pausing to say, “Thank You.”
This simple act of gratitude at each dawn could transform our entire perspective. Imagine if we lived each day as if it were a sacred extension of grace, not just another routine to survive, but a fresh canvas from the Creator.
I am reminded of something the Psalmist once said:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
Not counting birthdays, but days, because each day is precious, and wisdom begins when we realize the brevity of life. Money, as I rightly mentioned, fades to emptiness. But a soul that has learned to give thanks - that is wealth eternal.
This is a sacred reflection. It is thoughts like this that reawaken the soul.
Let me turn this reflection into a short essay or devotional piece to share with you and to others?
Essay: Counting Our Sunrises
Most people think of their age in terms of years, the number celebrated on birthdays with cakes, candles, and greetings. But few ever pause to consider the full measure of their existence: how many days they have truly lived, or how many hours have passed since their first breath. Yet, to realize the sacredness of life, it is not enough to count the years. We must number our days.
Consider this: if you are 75 years old, you have lived through approximately 27,393 days - that is, 27,393 sunrises. We have experienced over 657,000 hours, each hour a gift of life and opportunity. These are not just numbers; they are moments filled with breaths, thoughts, choices, and chances.
And yet, how many of those thousands of mornings began with a simple “Thank You” to the Creator? How many times have we awakened, rushed into the world, chasing money, security, or status, forgetting the Giver of the day itself?
We often live as though our time is endless, as though each sunrise is guaranteed. But the truth is humbling, we are granted a finite number of days. Each sunrise is a divine invitation to awaken not only the body but the soul. A daily chance to show gratitude, to live purposefully, to love deeply, and to draw nearer to God.
As the sun sets on each day, we inch closer to our final sunset, the one that ends our earthly sojourn. And when that day comes, all our earthly pursuits fade into silence. What will remain are the moments of gratitude, the prayers whispered at dawn, and the kindness we sowed in the daylight of our lives.
Let us learn to number our days rightly. Let us greet each sunrise with a grateful heart. For the true measure of a life well-lived is not how long we lived, but how deeply we remembered to give thanks for the gift of life itself.
Let me by more poetic in my thoughts as I pen this essay of mine today.
Poem: 27,393 Sunrises
I counted not the coins I earned,
Nor all the days I toiled and turned,
But paused one dawn with softened eyes,
To count instead my sunlit skies.
Twenty-seven thousand morns have passed,
Each sunrise gifted, each breath cast.
Yet how few thanks I've given back,
Chasing gold down every track.
Each dawn a whisper from the skies,
A sacred breath, a wide surprise.
The hours tick, not just to spend,
But chances sent from start to end.
I thought life long, but now I see,
Time slips like waves into the sea.
And what remains when dusk draws near,
Are grateful hearts and souls sincere.
So now I rise with humble grace,
And greet the sun with upturned face.
For every day that I have known,
Is not my own - it's mercy shown.
Dear God, for all these dawns I’ve missed,
Accept today my morning kiss.
And may each sunrise yet to be,
Begin with thanks - from soul to Thee.
Most people think of their age in terms of years, the number celebrated on birthdays with cakes, candles, and greetings. But few ever pause to consider the full measure of their existence: how many days they have truly lived, or how many hours have passed since their first breath. Yet, to realize the sacredness of life, it is not enough to count the years. We must number our days.
Consider this: if you are 75 years old, you have lived through approximately 27,393 days - that is, 27,393 sunrises. We have experienced over 657,000 hours, each hour a gift of life and opportunity. These are not just numbers; they are moments filled with breaths, thoughts, choices, and chances.
And yet, how many of those thousands of mornings began with a simple “Thank You” to the Creator? How many times have we awakened, rushed into the world, chasing money, security, or status, forgetting the Giver of the day itself?
We often live as though our time is endless, as though each sunrise is guaranteed. But the truth is humbling, we are granted a finite number of days. Each sunrise is a divine invitation to awaken not only the body but the soul. A daily chance to show gratitude, to live purposefully, to love deeply, and to draw nearer to God.
As the sun sets on each day, we inch closer to our final sunset, the one that ends our earthly sojourn. And when that day comes, all our earthly pursuits fade into silence. What will remain are the moments of gratitude, the prayers whispered at dawn, and the kindness we sowed in the daylight of our lives.
Let us learn to number our days rightly. Let us greet each sunrise with a grateful heart. For the true measure of a life well-lived is not how long we lived, but how deeply we remembered to give thanks for the gift of life itself.
Let me by more poetic in my thoughts as I pen this essay of mine today.
Poem: 27,393 Sunrises
I counted not the coins I earned,
Nor all the days I toiled and turned,
But paused one dawn with softened eyes,
To count instead my sunlit skies.
Twenty-seven thousand morns have passed,
Each sunrise gifted, each breath cast.
Yet how few thanks I've given back,
Chasing gold down every track.
Each dawn a whisper from the skies,
A sacred breath, a wide surprise.
The hours tick, not just to spend,
But chances sent from start to end.
I thought life long, but now I see,
Time slips like waves into the sea.
And what remains when dusk draws near,
Are grateful hearts and souls sincere.
So now I rise with humble grace,
And greet the sun with upturned face.
For every day that I have known,
Is not my own - it's mercy shown.
Dear God, for all these dawns I’ve missed,
Accept today my morning kiss.
And may each sunrise yet to be,
Begin with thanks - from soul to Thee.
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