Getting "Up" in years; no need to get down

     "This morning I awoke feeling old, or perhaps I should say, 'feeling my age'." 

— Beulah Eagles

     I'm not in a hurry to look in my mirror today as I've been told, mirrors don't lie.

     Could these feelings be the result of a recent visit with two of my grand-nieces who were passing through my city?    
     How thrilled I was to learn that they wanted to connect with their great-aunt. Our time together was pleasant. It was a vivid reminder of the generational cycle of life, and the reality of where I fit within it. 
     I speak of this, not with a complaining voice, but with one of amazement at having been allowed to live long enough to receive blessings such as these.

     Milton Greenblott has explained life's cycle in this way: 

     "First, we are children to our parents; then, parents to our children; then, parents to our parents; then, children to our children." 

     
     Though our time together was short, my youthful visitors seemed eager to learn more about the history of our connected families, relishing a story or two of the early life of their great auntie, from another generation. 
     Stories are what bind families together, helping us understand who we are.  

     "Through my grandmother's eyes, I can see more clearly the way things used to be, the way things ought to be, and most important of all, the way things really are." 
            

— Ed Cunningham

     As stories are shared, the younger generation will see that they, themselves, are links in the chain. They're part of something greater than themselves. They each have a responsibility to uphold family traditions, values and sustain a faith in God.  

Generations  

The way I walk I see my mother walking 

My feet secure and firm upon the ground. 

The way I talk I hear my daughter talking, 

And hear my mother's echo in the sound. 

The way she thought I find myself now thinking 

The generations linking 

In a firm continuum of mind. 

The bridge of immortality I'm walking

The voice before me echoing behind.

— Dorothy Hallard  

     Each of us are still writing our life's story and the last chapter has not yet been recorded. But, the moments we live today will inspire our stories of tomorrow. 
     As I view my life from a generational perspective, I have been considering what kind of a legacy I will be leaving. We think of a legacy as something left behind after a person has passed. It does not need to be a statue, and most of us will have few expensive treasures to bequeath. I believe our life is our legacy. 
     As we live our legacy, our influence will come from who we really are, and values and life's purposes become more important than emphasizing accomplishments or wealth. 
     When we bless people with our words and actions, and those blessings are multiplied and passed on, they are like family heirlooms — gifts that never lose their value.   

     "A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like.

     'We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire, it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.'  

     The little girl was wide-eyed taking this in. 

     At last, she said, 'I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!'"

 

— Unknown   

     

     "Our generation doesn't knock on doors. We will call or text you to let you know that we're outside."  

— Unknown

—  beulah