She did WHAT??????

Every day, I encounter someone who is doing much more than aging gracefully. Aging gracefully implies, to many, a senior who is quietly enjoying old age and peacefully waiting to die. Now, I don't want my faithful readers to imagine that aging gracefully, however you define it,  isn't a perfectly good way to spend the last twenty or so years of your life. If that is what you want to do, go right ahead. Relax! Enjoy!
But, there are other folks who want to walk a bit on the wild side. Take for instance a group of my friends (80 years and over) who went skydiving last year. Yes, they are risk takers and they had a great time. Then, there are the residents who cheerfully and regularly climb on a bumpy, uncomfortable bus to an hour or two, to visit a horse farm, an historic church or ogle tulips. They, no doubt, ache for a couple of days afterward, but they are continuing to have adventures, well into their 80's and 90's.
Last, but certainly not least, there was the daring and mischievous lady who appeared, at the annual Spring Shindig, in the coconut shell bra! Well, it was a Luau, Hawaiian Themed, Party and she was determined to dress for the occasion. Let it be noted, that she wore the bra discretely over her modest blouse. And, she looked terrific.
Bless these folks. Aging isn't fun. It isn't for the meek and weak. It's not fun getting old.......unless you really want it to be!

Dear Lord. Give us strength and courage. Remind us that a bountiful sense of humor.increases our enjoyment of the blessings in our life. We are truly thankful.

Ants in My Pants, a Memory

Memorial Day Weekend. This holiday has been around since the years after the American Civil War. It was initially called Decoration Day, and it was the day that post Civil War Americans decorated the graves of their soldiers. Then, it became traditional, for families, to use the holiday (which used to be May 30th, whatever day of the week on which it fell), to decorate the graves of their family members, soldiers or not.
It's a nice coincidence that late May, is the time that many indigenous flowers and shrubs are in bloom. Native flowers have always made showy cemetery floral displays. Lilacs and Dogwoods, Peonies and Iris (we called them Flags and they were always deep purple) were the choices of my Grandmother Wintle. Those things flourished in her yard and every last blossom was destined for the cemetery.
Peonies (pronounced pee OHH nies) start to bud out in early May. Grandma Wintle cut those buds, with very long stems, and placed them in Mason Jars, full of water, in her refrigerator. There they stayed for a month, in the cooler, until we took them to the cemetery.
Now, Peony buds are chock full of teeny black ants. There were never ants in the Grandma's refrigerator. That would have been unacceptable to Grandma. The cool air must have made the ants hibernate or something. The iris and the lilac (minus the ants) went in the fridge, too.
Early on Decoration Day, we would haul those jars outside, to the back seat of the car. Sister and I would be in the back seat and jars would be placed between our feet and of course we had to hold some, too.
Off we'd go. Grandpa was driving and as the car bumped over the bricks (our town had brick streets), water would spill out and soak our ankle socks. The ants would warm up and start crawling up our legs and onto our arms. The ants went into our shirts and up into our underpants. It was awful.
It never did any good to complain and because our hands were full, we just had to bear the torture.
To this day, no Peony blossom has ever been allowed to enter my home. They stay outside where they and their ants belong!
Artificial Flowers are very beautiful, these days.

Great God. We thank you for our memories. We wonder at the beauty of your universe. We have many blessings.

It's just a job.........

Jobs come and go during the 40 or so years that most people spend in the work force. Therefore,  most people have had numerous work places, by the time they reach my age. The folks that are with us in the work place, come and go, also. They retire, find different jobs, or move on to something bigger and better.
However, when you work in a retirement community, as I do, the reality is, because of their age and possible infirmities, many of our residents live here for awhile, and as time passes, some of them move to a different level of care or they pass away.
I'm sure you can understand, when I tell you that death is the hardest part of my job. I get very attached to the residents. They become my friends, and as I get to know them better and better, my attachment to them grows.  So, I truly mourn for them, when they die.
Logically, I know that no one lives forever. Living a healthy life long, into your 80s or 90s, is really a blessing. I know that I am blessed by working with the residents. Every day, I hear new stories about places they have been, people they have known and things they have done.
Just last week, I heard what it was like to pilot a plane taking off from the deck of an aircraft carrier and what it was like to listen to Elvis sing gospel, after performances, at "a theater" in Nashville. Several have traveled to every continent. Others have lived in numerous foreign countries. Some are not extraordinary, they are just genuinely nice folks.  Our residents are amazing!
I am thankful.

Great God. We are not guaranteed a long life. Show us how to appreciate every minute and hour that we can share with others. Teach us patience and kindness. Help us to be more like You.
In Your Holy Name, we pray.

"What do you say, dear?"

My children had a book, when they were youngsters, that had the title, "What do you say, dear?" It was a cute little story with imaginative scenarios centered around that same question. And, the answers were standard responses like, "please", "thank you" and "you are welcome". The whole book was a cute and creative way to teach simple, good manners.
So, I'm wondering how can I translate this idea to a select group of senior citizens, who seem to have forgotten how to be polite?
When someone says to me, "Sign me up for the dance." I am tempted to say......"What do you say, dear ?", but, thus far I have refrained from using those words. And, when I obey their orders and sign them up, they just turn and walk away! Again, I am tempted to yell after them..."What do you say, dear?" But, of course I can't do that.
The customer is always right.
But, believe me, the customer isn't always nice.

Gracious and all forgiving Lord. Aging isn't for the weak. Teach us humility and grace. Remind us that we are your servants and that you wish us to serve graciously. We praise your holy name.