Getting Old Is Not Fun!

One of the lasting memories I will have of my father is his expression of resignation each time something made him feel his age, or inability to do the things he wanted to do. He would say it in Polish, but since I have no idea how to spell it (and learned the hard way - a subject for another post - not to try speaking or spelling a language with which I am not familiar), I will simply translate it - "Getting Old Is Not Fun!" Unfortunately, with each passing year, I know exactly what that means.

I am one of those people who will begin to wash a load of laundry, think of another piece of clothing to add and go to the bedroom to pick it up. When I get to the bedroom, I realize I never made the bed, so I do that, then take the drinking glass from the bedside table to take it to the kitchen. When I'm in the kitchen, of course I need to make a cup of coffee. While I'm waiting for the coffee to brew, I make a side trip to the living room and find a piece of mail and take it to the desk where I see dust bunnies building a community, and decide to retrieve the duster from the laundry room where I find the load of laundry still waiting for the missing piece of clothing!

Most people over sixty would probably relate to my foibles, and we all chuckle at how silly we feel when such things happen. However, there are other things occurring now that are not nearly as easy to face. In the past year we lost my beautiful godmother and beloved father and my husband has lost a precious sister. These were blows that made us all the more aware of our own mortality. We have been placed face to face with how we will finish our lives.

Ron is now "retired," which for a minister is never really complete. He keeps his life busy in many ways by volunteering at the emergency room in our local hospital, teaching a driving course for those over fifty-five, guest preaching and teaching, and shuttling cars for a local dealership. He finds ways every day to show the deep faith he has as well as his love for others. I still work full time, but wish I were retired. I, too, try to show each day how important my faith, and share it in various ways. We have both become well aware that we may not have many years left on this earth. The question is, how will we fill those years in the way God wants for us?

I want to see all of my family and friends (past, present, and future)  assured of where they will be for eternity. I don't want to leave this earth with the knowledge that I may never see some of them again because they have not taken the simple act of accepting the forgiveness they have been offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The responsibility of carrying Christ to our world is awesome.

As we age, we all have aches and pains, worries and cares that keep us from focusing on what is most important. Our society attempts to defy aging in the attempt to keep mortality at bay. We wonder whether we will be able to afford our increasingly abundant medications and medical treatments. As we age, we begin to think of the possibility that we will lose our mobility, our mental acuity, and become more dependent upon others to assist us. We may need to give up our drivers' licences, our finances and our health decisions to someone else as we become less able to do things for ourselves. We are becoming vulnerable and we don't like it.

I am very grateful that we live in a comfortable home, still have a stable income and can still care for ourselves and our chores. I am grateful that we have a strong family relationship with our sons and their families, our brothers and sisters. We continue to trust that our lives will be fulfilled and fulfilling to others as we go day to day. Nope, growing old is not fun; but it is necessary. The alternatives are not acceptable. Another thing I remember about my father...

"Well, I'm up, I'm taking refreshment... what more can I ask?"