I attended a High School Reunion this past weekend. And, as you can imagine there
sure were a lot of senior citizens in attendance. I was not a member of the Pittsburg, Kansas, High School Class of 1963, but my very best-est, long time-st girlfriend is married to one of that year's graduates. My special friend and I were able to get in a good visit and I enjoyed being on the outside, an observer of the festivities.
It occurred to me, as I watched these folks chat and reminisce about their high school days, that their ages no longer made a difference. They were all 17 or 18, in their mind's eye. They were cheerleaders and football players, debaters and band members. They were the "shop" guys and the basketball players. They were the curly-Q eaters and the Coke drinkers. They were the kids that were "dragging the gut", or working at the IGA.
Yes, it was true and certainly obvious that most of them were heavier and shorter and slower, but they were all enjoying the moment. For just a little while on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they were young again and having a great time.
Life is long, if we are fortunate. We experience a great many things over a lifetime. Some of them are good and some are pretty awful. But, after 50 years, we all should rejoice and enjoy the blessings of greeting our oldest friends. They knew us when we were raw and rough edged. Now, that the edges are smoothed, they still care enough to greet us with love and warmth. We are all survivors on the road of life.
Keep on, keeping on. The good may die young, but the tough keep on truckin'.
Gracious and ever-lasting God. We love you. We treasure our blessings. Our expeiences have made us the people that we have become. You have been our guide throughout the long journey. We know that you are always with us....every step along the way.
We praise your name.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Blogs, Journals and all that junk!
I heard a statement the other day that went something like this. "There are two types of people. There are those folks who use their time to keep a diary/journal and there are the others, who are too busy doing stuff to write it all down!"
I fall somewhere in the middle. Before starting this blog, I kept a journal, trying to add insightful entries every night, before going to bed. My journal was supposed to help organize my thoughts and help me to become a better person. But truthfully, I think it just helped me rehash the junk that was going on in my life. I poured out a lot of anger and vengeance into those pages. Journaling didn't help me sleep, but it did keep me from grabbing something sharper than a pen and using it!
Now, of course, I blog. I've gone from daily journal entries to weekly (or almost weekly) posts, and I am trying to focus on the humor, the blessings and the oddities of daily life. This is my medium of choice. And, I am a better, happier person because of the change.
Lord Almighty. Our blessings are many. Why do we focus on the messes we make? You are all-forgiving, but yet we find it hard to forgive ourselves and others.
Keep us ever mindful of your promises of abundant and everlasting life. We praise your steadfast goodness.
I fall somewhere in the middle. Before starting this blog, I kept a journal, trying to add insightful entries every night, before going to bed. My journal was supposed to help organize my thoughts and help me to become a better person. But truthfully, I think it just helped me rehash the junk that was going on in my life. I poured out a lot of anger and vengeance into those pages. Journaling didn't help me sleep, but it did keep me from grabbing something sharper than a pen and using it!
Now, of course, I blog. I've gone from daily journal entries to weekly (or almost weekly) posts, and I am trying to focus on the humor, the blessings and the oddities of daily life. This is my medium of choice. And, I am a better, happier person because of the change.
Lord Almighty. Our blessings are many. Why do we focus on the messes we make? You are all-forgiving, but yet we find it hard to forgive ourselves and others.
Keep us ever mindful of your promises of abundant and everlasting life. We praise your steadfast goodness.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Day by Day
I'll be having another birthday, in about a week or so. We baby-boomers are aging, and we are beginning to realize that getting older isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Remember when you couldn't wait for another birthday? Turning five, meant you were ready to go to Kindergarten. And, at ten, you were in the double digits. Wow! That was old. Then, when you hit 13, you finally became a teenager. Sixteen, driving the car. Eighteen, voting. Twenty-one, a certified adult.
The last milestone I passed was becoming eligible for Medicare. Whoopee! That makes me a genuine senior citizen.
Most adults don't really boast about their ages. In other words, what's the difference between 65 and 80? Another year is just another year. My mother used to say that a Lady who would tell her age or weight, wasn't a real Lady!
But, after we reach 80, then we can start boasting about our age, again.
With just a few exceptions, most folks between 85 and 100, are extremely thrilled to have reached each and every birthday. They will proudly declare their exact age, often adding on the extra months. They start sounding very much like that "just-turned four year old, who declares that he is almost five".
Dear God: We thank you for our time on Earth. We pray that you will show us how to make the most of the time we have. Guide us and show us how we should live our lives, to your greatest glory.
PS.....Send me a card in another 15 years or so!
Remember when you couldn't wait for another birthday? Turning five, meant you were ready to go to Kindergarten. And, at ten, you were in the double digits. Wow! That was old. Then, when you hit 13, you finally became a teenager. Sixteen, driving the car. Eighteen, voting. Twenty-one, a certified adult.
The last milestone I passed was becoming eligible for Medicare. Whoopee! That makes me a genuine senior citizen.
Most adults don't really boast about their ages. In other words, what's the difference between 65 and 80? Another year is just another year. My mother used to say that a Lady who would tell her age or weight, wasn't a real Lady!
But, after we reach 80, then we can start boasting about our age, again.
With just a few exceptions, most folks between 85 and 100, are extremely thrilled to have reached each and every birthday. They will proudly declare their exact age, often adding on the extra months. They start sounding very much like that "just-turned four year old, who declares that he is almost five".
Dear God: We thank you for our time on Earth. We pray that you will show us how to make the most of the time we have. Guide us and show us how we should live our lives, to your greatest glory.
PS.....Send me a card in another 15 years or so!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Who on Earth?
There are a couple of things that most of us do, while traveling by air. First and foremost, we all try to find a comfortable position to doze, relax or just sit in a very uncomfortable, much too narrow seat. Then, most of us attempt to read. Prepared folks bring a book or a magazine. Techno savvy travelers tote their electronic notebooks or Kindle Readers. Others just read the display on their phones. And, the remaining souls read the airline sponsored in-flight magazine.
Generally, the last item to be read on an airplane (not counting the emergency instruction card, found in the back-pocket-of-the-seat-in front-of-you) is the latest edition of "Sky Mall". Between the slick covers of this amazing publication are pages and pages of "you-can't-possibly-do-without" items. You simply must have that tripod for your I Phone. How about the 2 foot high Big Foot statue for your garden, or the deluxe spandex security vest with enough pockets for all of your travel valuables? The "Sky Mall" also offers fine jewelry, mounted squirrel heads, faux shrubbery, and even a solar powered generator. Did I mention the singing tooth brush?
Before you scoff at the foolishness of impulse shopping, thousands of feet in the air, consider how many times you and others have read these catalogs! Somebody or a whole big bunch of somebodies must be buying this stuff.
Dear Lord. We witness your awesomeness as we travel along our life paths. When we travel your universe, we are amazed at your wondrous works. Our insignificance smacks us in the face, when we consider all that you are and all that you have made. Thank you for loving each of us, individually, as your children. We are blessed to know that we are "one of a kind" to you.
We treasure our world and our fellow travelers.
Generally, the last item to be read on an airplane (not counting the emergency instruction card, found in the back-pocket-of-the-seat-in front-of-you) is the latest edition of "Sky Mall". Between the slick covers of this amazing publication are pages and pages of "you-can't-possibly-do-without" items. You simply must have that tripod for your I Phone. How about the 2 foot high Big Foot statue for your garden, or the deluxe spandex security vest with enough pockets for all of your travel valuables? The "Sky Mall" also offers fine jewelry, mounted squirrel heads, faux shrubbery, and even a solar powered generator. Did I mention the singing tooth brush?
Before you scoff at the foolishness of impulse shopping, thousands of feet in the air, consider how many times you and others have read these catalogs! Somebody or a whole big bunch of somebodies must be buying this stuff.
Dear Lord. We witness your awesomeness as we travel along our life paths. When we travel your universe, we are amazed at your wondrous works. Our insignificance smacks us in the face, when we consider all that you are and all that you have made. Thank you for loving each of us, individually, as your children. We are blessed to know that we are "one of a kind" to you.
We treasure our world and our fellow travelers.
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