Father of six James Van Der Beek rang in his 46th birthday on Wednesday by sharing a cute snapshot of himself and his very large brood. The Dawson's Creek star was full of introspection as he mused about life and posed alongside his crew of little blond babies.
James shared a thoughtful birthday post with his 1.1 million Instagram followers.
Apparently, his self-proclaimed 46th trip around the sun had him thinking about his relationship with time.
"I used to try to bend it to my will. Speed it up, squeeze more into it, shortcut it. Or panic at its passing. Or just ignore it altogether," he began his lengthy post.
James shares six children with his wife, Kimberly.
We have a hunch that James was feeling so inspired to embrace growing older thanks to his children: 12-year-old Olivia, 10-year-old Joshua, 9-year-old Annabel, 6-year-old Emilia, 4-year-old Gwendolyn, and 15-month-old Jeremiah. Since 2020, he and Kimberly have been raising their family away from the spotlight on their 36-acre Texas ranch.
James talked about having reverence for time in his post.
"But this planet, this dimension, is governed by time," his message continued. "Trees grow at their pace. The earth spins at a near constant. And the more reverence I can find for all of it, the more life becomes a living prayer of appreciation. For life. For nature. For the great cosmic mystery of which we can sometimes can catch the edges."
All of this allows him to be more present in life.
With so much to be grateful for, it's no wonder James wants to spend more time living in the moment.
"And the more deference I can summon to the lessons earned only in time, the healthier relationship I have with miracles," he continued. "And the easier it becomes to root in the present, open to the perfection of a process I was never meant to control."
All of which, he joked, is a "long-winded way of saying middle age rocks."
James really does have so much to be thankful for.
The former teen heartthrob has been very open about Kimberly's struggles with fertility, which has included pregnancy loss. But they've so far been blessed with six kids. Considering how big of a life James has built for himself and his family, we think he has a whole lot more than a 46th trip around the sun to be thankful for this year.
Happy birthday, James! Here's to many more!
