Blessings

In youth, we know for certain that we are fully alive and a good life stretches out endlessly before us. In our middle age, we know that we are living the way we are supposed to live and most of us feel that we are on the righteous path. We work in and for the church; we give to the poor; we honor the old in our midst; we take good care of our children, and we’re generally certain that we’re doing the best we can. The senior years, however, bring a new certainty, the positive knowledge that until now, we didn’t really know anything.
It is when life has removed some of our capabilities from us that we fully appreciate the blessings they were. When we can no longer get around freely, we understand the richness of unaided, unpainful movement. When we can no longer see well, we “see” that sight is one of our richest blessings. When our hearing fails and we’re deprived of easy communication with others, we recognize that good hearing is a pearl beyond compare. When our friends (and sometimes our kin) die, we know the importance of life, friends and family.
It’s no fun growing old, and it’s difficult to grow old gracefully and without complaint. Visiting Marie and being unable to communicate with her because her hearing aid is lost brought a frustration to us, and we couldn’t help empathize with her. But what she said to us was, “I’ve had a good life!” As powerless as she was to talk with us, she still had a smile on her face and happy words on her lips. Now, that’s the wisdom and blessing of age!