Early days with my hubby Nelson and sister Merle, celebrating with friends at a party together.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a
Another birthday having come and gone, adding to that fast-growing age total, I pause to reflect on the challenges and blessings that come with growing older.
Birthdays, having always been recognized in our family and made special for the celebrant, I found myself being treated royally throughout this past weekend.
My biggest surprise was to have son Roger, from Abbotsford, suddenly appear, as Debi and I were just getting settled at our table at the local Cactus Club Restaurant.
Then, sister Merle and nephew Richard appeared, making for a great celebration. What a lovely surprise!
What does it mean to “grow old?” Is it determined by the number of years a person has lived? Or is growing old an attitude, not dependant on one’s age, but rather on a person’s perspective?
Statistics tell us that men and women are living longer than their grandparents and are remaining more productive in later life.
However, I learned Gladstone was Prime Minister of England at age 83; Benjamin Franklin helped frame the Constitution of the United States at 80; Oliver Wendell Holmes retired from the Supreme Court Bench at 91; Henry Ford was acting president of the Ford Motor Company when he was past the age of 80.
Perhaps programs that were not available back then, now encourage this generation to take early retirement, while their health is at a premium. Unfortunately, this is not true of everyone.
I like Helen Steiner Rice’s thoughts on this subject.
“An individual’s outlook on life depends on sustaining an abiding faith, maintaining family bonds, preserving present friendships and developing new ones, staying as fit and active as possible, remembering the past but looking forward to the future, retaining a good sense of humour, celebrating life, reaching out to others and keeping a zest for living.” — Celebrating The Golden Years.
Quite a tall order for sure, but it’s much of what I have tried to focus on.
As I age, incidents that once seemed small, I now find become a greater concern and challenge for me.
Thus far, for reasons known only to God, I have been spared from having to suffer physical challenges. I observe daily, neighbours and friends, some much younger than myself, having to endure the hardships of poor health. I bow my head and say,“Why them and not me, Lord? "Why me and not them Lord?”
I have no answer, but only a heart full of thank yous —grateful, each new day for my faith that sustains me and the many blessings that keep coming.
This says it right: “Life would not be worth living without faith. Faith in God; faith in ourselves; faith in our fellow-men; we should omit none of the three. Without faith in God, there is no hope for the soul; without faith in self, life is a miserable failure; without faith in each other, we should miss the sweet joys of friendship. Keep your faith bright; let its lustre never grow dim!”
— Ida Scott Taylor
“No one grows old by living, only by losing interest in living.”
— Marie Ray
— beulah
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