My father loved a good tease. He would sometimes say things just to get a reaction. His most common teases were aimed at my mother. She had a way of enduring his teasing without becoming angry. They were born about six months apart. He was just a little bit older than she. He used to tease that he was even a bit older than their real age difference by referring to himself as a year older than he was. He would say, “I’m in my fiftieth year,” as soon as he reached his 49th birthday. She would correct him and say, “You’re only forty-nine.” Sometimes she’d phrase it a bit differently, “You may be in your fiftieth year, but I’m only 49.” It was a running joke and we heard them mention it almost every year, usually around our dad’s birthday.

I’m aware of the difference in how people count ages this June because of all of the celebrations that are taking place over the anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth II, queen of England. There are plenty of articles about how the United Kingdom is celebrating her 70 years on the throne. It is what is being called her “Platinum Jubilee.” But here is the thing. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned queen on June 2, 1953. I was born on June 15, 1953. England is celebrating her 70 years on the throne just in advance of my 69th birthday. You do the math. The simple truth is that we are using two different systems of counting. The Queen’s 70th year on the throne begins on June 2. My 70th year of life begins on June 15. But I intend to list 69 as my age until June 15, 2023. That is the same system that is used to county my age on my driver’s license, passport, and other official documents.

My way of counting, however, is a reflection of my culture and heritage. If I understand the Korean age system, for example, I would have said that I was 70 years old for this entire calendar year, beginning with January 1. In Korea, people are considered to be a year old at birth, and they add a year to their age every January 1st. A baby born on December 31, would be considered to be 2 years old the next day. They still celebrate their birthdays on the day they were born. And the contemporary Koreans that I know will report two different ages, their birth age and their Korean age. It all seems a bit confusing to us, but it isn’t to people who have grown up in Korea.

It doesn’t bother me that there are different ways of counting the passage of time. I’m perfectly happy that the people in England are celebrating the platinum jubilee this year. I’m still going to tell people I am 69 years old when I am asked. And I get asked fairly often. That is one thing about working as a faith formation minister. Children are so used to being asked how old they are by adults that they frequently return the question. I don’t mind answering. I don’t mind that I’m turning 69 years old, either. I’m quite comfortable being a white-haired grandfather. An as to the difference in how the queen counts years, she was 27 when she was crowned, which makes her 27 years older than me. She can count however she likes as far as i’m concerned. When I reach her age, I don’t expect people will bother to question how I count the years of my life.

The reality is that when June rolls around each year, it is an opportunity for me to reflect on the passage of time. The month of my birth is a reminder that I am growing older. I sometimes joke that I’ve never been the right age for anything. I went straight from being too young to being too old and never was just the right age. But somehow it feels like I am just the right age now that I’ve come to a place of semi-retirement. I work a bit less than I did when I was younger. I can see the difference between the long days our son works and the somewhat shorter ones I work. I’m a bit less productive than I once was. On the other hand, I spend a bit less time doing things that don’t really matter. I’m a bit more able to focus and I’m a whole lot more able to simply be present to the task at hand. As Queen Elizabeth might put it, I am able to “filter out the ephemeral from the enduring.”

I’ve passed several significant landmarks in my years. The age of adulthood was a bit murky when I came of age. I went away to college when I was 17. Different states had different ages at which alcohol could be purchased in those days, ranging from 18 to 21. The age of maturity in Montana in those days was 21, but young men were drafted at age 18. I felt myself to be fully grown up when I married at age 20, but I still couldn’t rent a car until I got a year older. Furthermore, I remained a student until I was 25. I was 25 when I was ordained, so I guess that my platinum jubilee doesn’t come until 2047. At any rate I got to the place in my life where I was considered to be an adult.

As the decades passed, I didn’t mind the one I occupied. I have enjoyed my twenties, thirties, forties, fifties and sixties. I’m thinking that the decades to come will be fun as well.

The year I was the same age as my father was when he died, I was aware that it was a kind of landmark for me, but it passed and I’ve grown comfortable being older than he ever was. I reached 65 and went on medicare without any big problems.

I wish the Queen a joyous platinum jubilee. I wish her good health and much joy in her family and in looking back at the accomplishments of her lifetime of service. As for me. I’m still 68 years old for a couple of weeks.