"It" comes like a thief in the night and steals from you while sleeping. The word pops up in conversations with your doctor and even with your friends and relatives. "It" cannot stand alone, but must hang on to you by what ever means it can find. They write about "it" in newspapers and magazines. In fact, you might say that some folks are obsessed with the process. You can study "it" from all angles, discuss it, cuss it, and some people even try to run away from "it". But it is all to no avail. "It" is old age, which will catch up with you when you least expect it.
You'll first notice it one morning as you're getting out of bed. Nothing to get alarmed about--a little stiffness in your joints. Once you move around, it goes away. Then, unfortunately, the day will dawn when the stiffness and pain does not go away. As you look in the mirror at the lines bracketing the smile that does not come as quickly as before, you have the dreaded epiphany--"I am growing old."
You tell the eye doctor "I need new glasses, I can't see as well." He shakes his head and looks at you with a sad expression. "I can give you stronger glasses, but it won't help." Yes, you got it......"age related."
You tell your regular doctor "I need to move without pain." He shakes his head and looks at you with a sad expression. "I can give you stronger pain pills, and something to calm your nerves...but...." Yes, you got it......"age related."
Although prayer will not halt the inevitable passage of time, our gracious Heavenly Father will hold your hand and share your burden as you trod this passage through life.
So, as I "celebrate" my seventy-eighth birthday, I know I must face the facts. My eye sight, my hearing, my memory, my digestive system and my joints are all wearing out. You look back to your wasteful youth and wonder if you could have done anything any differently. Probably not.
To quote baseball star Mickey Mantle, (who thought he'd died young from an inherited disease) "If I knew I was gonna live this long, I woulda took better care of myself."
In spite of the gloom and doom which I struggle to cast aside, deep inside of me there is a fire and whereas age has caused that fire to flicker and fade slightly, it still burns. And, as long as I have breath in my body and, with God's help, I will continue to fan the feeble flame.
