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August 25, 2010

Thoughts on aging gracefully...........

This song is for you mom . "On the road Again"
It has come to me, a recent realization,  that I am getting old !
      It used to be, when  going to wedding, family gatherings, funerals etc., I would marvel how well older ones of the family were doing, and now that I am the older one  of the family...I wonder , "when did this all happen?" 
     My mom's family (cousins) enjoyed longevity, many living to over 100 years, and prided themselves traveling, gardening etc in their advanced years. Mom was no exception.  I often wondered how my mom did it...even in her nineties,,with dad gone before her  ..she said so many had left her ..and yet she moved forward until almost 100 years and enjoyed her life , living it   young at heart. She always looked forward, thinking about next years garden or planting flowers in anticipation for the next spring. I never heard her complain about the aches and pains of old age, which no doubt she had. Instead, she  would grab a hoe and go outside and work it off, clean her house, or find something worthwhile doing for others.She would bake for church gatherings  , fund raisers..or "make cookies for the old folks at the home", never considering herself older than they were ( which she was!) . ...I guess you could say she never wasted a moment in her life..she took her golden years and ran with them.
     In those later years , many wondered why her family could allow her to get on a plane and fly to Texas for the winter at age 90 . My answer is...I would like to see anyone try to stop her. She  would be  singing "On the Road Again" when it was time to go south for the winter, would have her tickets purchased and suitcases packed well in advance , and off she would go. Our stipulation was that she please return home for
Christmas, which she always did, then would return to Texas until Spring.
I have come to the conclusion her secret in life was a deep faith in God and never question His plans for her. Mom found alternatives to the aches , pains and loneliness of old age, and nurtured new friendships when old ones passed on, dared to travel and see the world, worshiped God daily,  and got tremendous satisfaction of having a giving, loving heart.

((We miss you mom.Thanks for teaching us these lessons in life))
Cindy Helen, Karen and Don

 
Taken In Albuquerque NM   
June Wellman
Age 92

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