50 Days Before 50: A Practice of Reflection, Release, and Renewal

I love celebrating others, and I love being celebrated. As a matter of fact, give me a reason to celebrate someone, something, or an occasion I will do it.

Growing up, my birthday was celebrated, but often alongside my siblings or more modestly because it falls three weeks after Christmas and bills were due. When I was old enough to celebrate on my own, I made it big every year and grand for every milestone. When we approach milestone birthdays, we may plan parties, dinners, and trips, but getting older also inspires reflection.

Reflection Brings Pause

I started my journey to fifty at forty-nine. I felt the need to accomplish everything before closing out the decade. But near the end of that year, I felt an inner nudge to slow down and sit with my life rather than rush to get the party started.

One night in November, I had a dream. It was vivid, almost scary and so clear that hours later, I still remembered every detail. I thought doing “50 Days Before 50” would be a great idea, though I wasn’t sure what that would look like beyond trying new things. Prayer came to mind, and themes began to flood my thoughts.

I invited three close sister-friends to begin fifty days of prayer with me. One of them said, “Let’s do it every day!” We all said yes. For me, that yes became fifty intentional days of prayer, journaling, and quiet listening, not to fix anything, but to honor what had already been lived. Every morning at 5 a.m., we started with God. There were good days, bad days, sick days, sleepless days, and travel days but...we showed up. We praised, thanked God, and prayed for one another. As I was being poured into each morning, I began thinking about how many others might need prayer and encouragement in overwhelming seasons. Why not pour into them too?

The fifty days before fifty began on Thanksgiving Day. I remember getting only about three hours of sleep, but I was excited to meet my sisters at 5 a.m. In the past, I had been cautious about what I prayed for, because sometimes the tests and trials I didn’t want seemed to follow. But this time, I declared these fifty days would be great and I wasn’t holding back. The tests and trials came. But how I responded, that was the blessing. Growing, persevering, pushing through, and trusting God during those fifty days was perfect.

There was something powerful about the consistency of showing up each day. The experience reminded me that reflection creates room for renewal. When we pause and listen, we create space to release what is not ours to carry, what no longer serves us, and to make peace with what shaped us and where we are going. We stop measuring ourselves by timelines and expectations and begin listening to what our spirit needs now. This journey was so meaningful that I continued the habit after turning fifty, not because I didn’t already spend time with God, but because the intention was different.

"You don’t have to be approaching a milestone birthday to begin a reflective journey. Life offers countless invitations to pause during transitions, beginnings, endings, or whenever we sense a shift."

When I stepped into fifty, I carried less weight and more awareness. Reflection didn’t change my past, but it changed how I held it. And in that shift, I found renewal, not dramatic or loud, but gentle and steady.

A new beginning.

A new decade.

My Jubilee Year (Leviticus 25).

Every morning, Laverne shares heartfelt prayers and words of encouragement with sisters.

If you would like to receive a daily prayer and message, text “Prayer and encourage me please” along with your name to 267-237-0706.

— Laverne Cheeseboro

Guest Contributing Writer

Women’s History Month Featured Voice

To connect with Laverne and learn more about her work, visit:

http://thelaverneexperience.com