Aging Gracefully

Have you ever thought much about what that actually means? How do you age gracefully? What is graceful about bent shoulders, wobbly knees, shaking hands, stumbling feet, a quivering voice, falling backwards, memory lapses or those dreaded wrinkles? Well, let’s analyze these, why don’t we.

When I look at the bent shoulders and wobbly knees of the elderly, I see years of working, staying on task, to raise and support a family, striving to give them a little more than just their basic needs. There, you will find the old America, a nation of people who would never consider accepting charity, much less asking for it. They knew the value of work and the joys and pride found in the results of that effort.

The shaking hands you find when watching the aged accomplishing the simplest tasks are showing you the hands of a person who has lived life. Those hands have held a plow or made a deal on a handshake or caressed their wife and gently held their newborn son. Those hands have waved hello to their cherished friends and said goodbye to those who have gone on before them. They have cooked and cleaned for their family, changed diapers, wiped tears, pealed potatoes, clean the home, made the beds, and washed the clothes of those they love. Those hands may have played the piano in pleasure or just been there to hold a friend in sorrow.

         My Greatest Gift

                           by Eugenia S. Hunt

Within my silent, unspoken dreams,
Beginning with love's emotion.
Two hands clasp throughout tomorrow,
With promise of heart's devotion.

                                 A smile to chase away my fears,
                                To never walk alone,
                                A heart to give me shelter,
                                And arms to be my home.

                                                              You came to me as a gift,
                                                              My silent dream come true.
                                                              The greatest gift of all to me,
                                                              Is being loved by you.

Stumbling feet and backward falls remind us that we came into this world helpless to take care of ourselves, totally dependent on our parent’s hands. And it shows us that we leave this world in the same way, if we are lucky enough to have a long and fruitful life. We will then find ourselves dependent on the hands of the children we have loved and nurtured into the adults they have become. It tells us of life as it runs in circles and those stumbling feet have come full circle.

When we hear the crackling sound of a quivering voice, we hear the sound of a voice tired from many years of expressing needs, giving instruction, singing songs, laughter, sobs, and telling those close to them of their love for them. Also, with that voice, if you listen, you will hear the stories of their life and the lessons learned there. At their feet, you can obtain a wealth of information, as you listen to that crackling voice reminisce of family, lost loves, raising children, suffering, joy, government, finances and the economy, past wars and lessons learned through them, religion, and their walk with the Lord.

We all joke about the memory lapses of the elderly. I choose to call them “Intellectual Interruptions.” But there are many other names given to the age old condition. I have heard comments such as, “By the time you're eighty years old, you have learned everything. You only have to remember it.” Or “Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don’t have film.” In this age of computer memory, so many rely on a machine to keep up with their lives. However, though a computer has excellent memory, it doesn’t have imagination or emotion and they walk hand in hand with our memories to bring them to life.

And what about those wrinkles! So many causes are given for those. Oh, they smoked too long, drank too much, too much sun, or too many worries, are just a few. Well, do you know one of the major causes of wrinkles? Smiling causes wrinkles but wouldn’t the world be a terrible place if no one smiled? So, be proud of your wrinkles of happiness…both yours and the happiness you spread to others through that smile.

Some day we, too, will have to face the effects of a long life. What choice will you make as to how you handle the later years of your life’s journey?

I choose to tell stories that make others laugh about it. Many times, I have told of walking through the mall with my beautiful daughters, having a great afternoon, forgetting that I am so much older than the girls. And suddenly, I see my mother’s reflection in a store window!! However, my mother is not with us.

Have you ever had that happen, to have the realization of becoming your mother or your father just jump out and slap you in the face in the middle of an otherwise great day? It’s a real eye opener, for sure!

Life is what it is and it is up to you to make it return to you, joy, despite the effects of it.

So, remember, life is a gift and it is short lived. But it isn’t the end of you…simply an interval to what lies ahead. Live it well, with a song in your heart and the Lord by your side. And then, as the journey ends, you will be proud of the memories you leave behind for your loved ones and Heaven will be a sweet victory to which to look forward.

　                                               HEAVEN BECOMES SWEETER

By Eugenia S. Hunt

As lost sheep, or a flightless dove.

Found only when face to face,

                                                 Found within the gates of Heaven.

                                                 Jesus Christ, our only way,

                                                 To reach the journey’s end we seek.

                                                  God’s plan for every man.