When I was very small, I thought that the ideal age must be 16 and I could not wait to get there. When I turned 16, I longed to be 18, for the freedoms that would bring. At some point, I no longer found myself wishing I was older.
Every now and then I catch myself examining my image in the mirror before and after I pull back the sides of my face and recently I have been glancing at my hands and seeing my mother's hands – my aging mother's hands.
With an approaching birthday, I find myself thinking about the aging process and how my thoughts on age have changed throughout the years. I always seem to prepare in one way or another for this passage of time. When I turned 40, I bought myself a ring which symbolized a beginning for me. My forties were a time when I really began to let go of other people's agendas for my life so that I could live the life that I was truly called to.
I have already had one birthday celebration with my Florida family. I had been there to meet my new grandson Ryan and be with the rest of the family in their new home. On the way to the airport, my son and I talked about how all we wanted as parents was for our children to be happy. My son is a man with a beautiful family. How did that happen so fast? He really is no longer my little guy who needs me to look after him. He is a wonderful person who I can have heart to heart talks with-- I learn from him.
After returning from this trip, I went for a long walk passing the home that Mom and Dad last lived in together. The old plantings had been ripped up and new put down. A sparkly new porch has been built. I look for signs of how things had been for so long. My dad's American flag has long been taken from the kitchen window. It seems like yesterday when I was sitting with them in the kitchen talking. Those days are gone.
My thoughts then wandered to friends from scripture. I almost immediately landed on Abraham and Sarah. They were way past their prime when they did their most creative work in the world. Because they said yes to God's call in their older years, my life is different in 2014. I wonder how my life would be different today if they had said no... My point is, at every movement along our path, we are being called to something new. It is always change and it is rarely without pain. If we say yes however I can promise that we will be blessed.
So – whatever age you are, you will be older tomorrow. Let's say yes to this process in life and embrace the challenges. And like Sarah and Abraham let us say yes to God's call and do our part in paving the way for those in the future.
Every now and then I catch myself examining my image in the mirror before and after I pull back the sides of my face and recently I have been glancing at my hands and seeing my mother's hands – my aging mother's hands.
With an approaching birthday, I find myself thinking about the aging process and how my thoughts on age have changed throughout the years. I always seem to prepare in one way or another for this passage of time. When I turned 40, I bought myself a ring which symbolized a beginning for me. My forties were a time when I really began to let go of other people's agendas for my life so that I could live the life that I was truly called to.
I have already had one birthday celebration with my Florida family. I had been there to meet my new grandson Ryan and be with the rest of the family in their new home. On the way to the airport, my son and I talked about how all we wanted as parents was for our children to be happy. My son is a man with a beautiful family. How did that happen so fast? He really is no longer my little guy who needs me to look after him. He is a wonderful person who I can have heart to heart talks with-- I learn from him.
After returning from this trip, I went for a long walk passing the home that Mom and Dad last lived in together. The old plantings had been ripped up and new put down. A sparkly new porch has been built. I look for signs of how things had been for so long. My dad's American flag has long been taken from the kitchen window. It seems like yesterday when I was sitting with them in the kitchen talking. Those days are gone.
My thoughts then wandered to friends from scripture. I almost immediately landed on Abraham and Sarah. They were way past their prime when they did their most creative work in the world. Because they said yes to God's call in their older years, my life is different in 2014. I wonder how my life would be different today if they had said no... My point is, at every movement along our path, we are being called to something new. It is always change and it is rarely without pain. If we say yes however I can promise that we will be blessed.
So – whatever age you are, you will be older tomorrow. Let's say yes to this process in life and embrace the challenges. And like Sarah and Abraham let us say yes to God's call and do our part in paving the way for those in the future.
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