| Isaiah 6:8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” |
My goal these days is to stay out of the doctor’s office, hospital, and urgent care. Old age is like a pickpocket. It bumps into you and distracts you with living while it robs you of your youth, all in plain sight. You wake up one day, and you realize you are old. A co-worker and I start each day with a song. Many of the artists we select are no longer living. My brother, a few days ago, messaged me that he was listening to Gordon Lightfoot and thinking of me. He knew I was a fan. My reply? Gordon died a year or two ago. My wife and I just today were cleaning out boxes of books. Keep or get rid of. Me: I am 70, and haven’t looked at them in 30 or 40 years, so get rid of them. I don’t have enough years left to read them all. I am letting go of sentimental things now. Fortunately, we have our memory, such a blessing. But it helps to have things to trigger our memories. A book, a photo, a greeting card. The Classics IV sing “Faded photographs, covered now in lines and creases, tickets torn in half, memories in bits and pieces.” In my mind, I am a young man, but in the mirror, I see this old guy. I struggle to introduce them to each other. They aren’t having it, and avoid making eye contact. A friend from our church died recently. Her name was Grace. She did her best work the older she got. I am trying to follow her lead and get better with age. Can I make these the best days of my life? Father in heaven, help me to continue serving You, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
- Jeff Beall
