Seeking Satisfaction at Seventy
Next month I will be marking my 70th birthday. Even though I have been a senior citizen for a while, some how the number 70 makes it clear that I have arrived at the last part of life. Only God knows how long this phase will last. What am I going to do with the resources and opportunities that are available to me? How much time lies before me? Perhaps looking back will give me good ideas for moving forward.
My grandmother died at the age of 93 and my mother died at the age of 95. Although both of them thought more slowly as they aged they were both clear thinkers. In spite of their severe hearing problems they both put a high value on being with other people.Into her nineties Mother would meet friends out for lunch. I remember many times she would visit home bound friends often sharing with them some food she had prepared. Although she enjoyed being alone interaction with people was an important part of life whether it was just to enjoy the company of others or to encourage others with food or conversation.
I've heard stories about elderly people when they are living alone neglecting to eat well and allowing the house to operate at less than a healthy level. That was not my mother. She continued to weed her flowers and fill the humming bird feeders. She seemed to make order the word to describe the outside as well as the inside of her house. The lack of company did not keep her from a typical meal of meat and a vegetable. What she valued at a younger age she continued to value as the years increased.
Mother rarely spoke of her faith but like her mother her faith was at the center of who she was. When I stayed with her once her priorities were clear. One morning when I came into the kitchen she was seated at the table with her Bible and devotional spread out before her. I asked her where the morning paper was. Although I knew she was an avid reader of the paper she casually answered "It's out front." and then went back to her Bible.
Valuing her priorities characterized her life as well as her mother's.
1. My mother valued the presence of others in her life.
2. She did not allow anyone to limit her helping others because of her age.
3. Many of her good habits that she had in her younger years continued to be part of her life as she aged.
4. Her faith in God gave her life focus.
Will these 4 things if characteristic of my life cause me to live to 95? I have no idea. Will the priorities that were part of my mother's life enrich my life as I age? The answer is a resounding yes.
My grandmother died at the age of 93 and my mother died at the age of 95. Although both of them thought more slowly as they aged they were both clear thinkers. In spite of their severe hearing problems they both put a high value on being with other people.Into her nineties Mother would meet friends out for lunch. I remember many times she would visit home bound friends often sharing with them some food she had prepared. Although she enjoyed being alone interaction with people was an important part of life whether it was just to enjoy the company of others or to encourage others with food or conversation.
I've heard stories about elderly people when they are living alone neglecting to eat well and allowing the house to operate at less than a healthy level. That was not my mother. She continued to weed her flowers and fill the humming bird feeders. She seemed to make order the word to describe the outside as well as the inside of her house. The lack of company did not keep her from a typical meal of meat and a vegetable. What she valued at a younger age she continued to value as the years increased.
Mother rarely spoke of her faith but like her mother her faith was at the center of who she was. When I stayed with her once her priorities were clear. One morning when I came into the kitchen she was seated at the table with her Bible and devotional spread out before her. I asked her where the morning paper was. Although I knew she was an avid reader of the paper she casually answered "It's out front." and then went back to her Bible.
Valuing her priorities characterized her life as well as her mother's.
1. My mother valued the presence of others in her life.
2. She did not allow anyone to limit her helping others because of her age.
3. Many of her good habits that she had in her younger years continued to be part of her life as she aged.
4. Her faith in God gave her life focus.
Will these 4 things if characteristic of my life cause me to live to 95? I have no idea. Will the priorities that were part of my mother's life enrich my life as I age? The answer is a resounding yes.
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