Age to Age

I remind myself of a squirrel who buried acorns in the summer then in the winter forgot where he put them. I was convinced I had lost a favorite set of clothes, even calling the homes of our kids I had visited during the winter to see if I’d left a pink turtleneck and grey cords at their house. Notorious for leaving things on trips, I assumed the worst when we had our first premature cold weather last month and I was looking for something warm in my closet. Where were the sweater and grey pants? An exhaustive search in both my husband’s and my closets proved futile, as did rummaging through drawers of dressers and chests.

Then yesterday I was retrieving a house shoe from under the bed with the help of a flashlight and cringed at the dust hidden by the bed skirt, but illuminated by the unforgiving beam of the flashlight. No wonder my allergies had been acting up! Grabbing a dust mop and going over the hardwood floor under the bed, I suddenly met resistance with the handle. Pushing harder, I dislodged a plastic storage carton, from what I could see, holding some winter throws and something of my husbands. I pulled it out and started removing things, and there was the sweater! I had absolutely no recollection of putting it there! Then, rifling through hangers on the closet rod looking for jeans, my hand touched something ribbed. What’s this? I found the lost pants hanging near the bottom of a multilevel hanger!

I must be slipping! No, Lord, I rebuke that thought! I’ve never given much thought to age, because, on the inside, I mostly feel like I always did, despite what the outside may show, which is apparent to me every time I look in the mirror. Still, it is a perk to hear something like I heard yesterday from someone I’d never met. A writer wanted to include me and my book in a Senior Supplement in her newspaper, but she had to confirm over the phone that I was a senior. I told her my age, but upon our meeting yesterday, she thought me some 20 years younger! (Thank you, Lord!) Although she asked what I “did” in the way of diet, exercise, etc., I had no secret to give her. I’ll just take whatever blessing the Lord gives me! She said she hoped I took that as a compliment. Are you kidding? I’m thankful to be living in an age of increased longevity, to enjoy good health and be as active as I want to be.

Many others fit this category, too, as I see more all the time. When we did a service at an assisted-living home last week, I couldn’t help noticing a middle-aged-looking man paying close attention, and afterwards Howard and I talked with him. Turns out they knew many of the same people in Blackwell, and in the course of conversation he said he was 88! He looked 60! There was not a wrinkle on his face! But when he left, I could see he was stooped and used a walker. A friend, who is 60 herself, visited a senior center recently and watched the participants do line dancing. She said one of the women seemed to be having a little trouble with some of the steps, but she learned afterward the woman was 100 years old! An upper-age octogenarian lady from our church has learned to play pool at the senior activities there, and beats all her opponents!

James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” No matter how we may resist growing older, God is the only one who doesn’t age or change. As the Bible says, “Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today and forever.” Amen!