Perspectives
on the Landscape of Life
By
DJ Note
It’s
A Long, Long Trail
It
takes courage to grow old gracefully. It’s an act of the will, an attitude
practiced daily. I’ve seen this determined resolve in action, often as heads are
bowed and prayer opens the doors of heaven.
There
are the ordinary day-to-day challenges like combing the last few strands of
what once was a full head of hair; or watching yet another wrinkle take its
place on what used to be a smooth elastic surface. Then there’s watching your
grand daughter effortlessly perform that backbend you used to conquer, or the
neighbor kid petal his bike past your house—no hands—holding his baseball bat
over one shoulder, and his mitt over the other. Those were the days!
But,
the years fly and time presents opportunity for harder trials; a wayward child
or spouse, the dreaded empty nest, a frightening diagnoses at the doctor’s
office, the tragic loss of a loved one. These passing years take strength of
courage and a deepening faith to face. My folks often remind me, “Life is
change.” Not one of my favorite realities.
Recently,
a co-worker handed the phone to me. “It’s your mom.” Her face held concern. Dad
was in the hospital having suffered a stroke.
I
sent out a clarion call for prayer and by evening, he had completely recovered.
Nothing was permanently affected. His motor skills were back to their
90-year-old normal. I felt I couldn’t praise God enough.
Later
however, my heart broke to watch Mom prepare to leave the hospital after a long
day at his bedside. I overheard her whisper as she leaned over Dad’s bed to
kiss him goodbye, “I guess we’ll be sleeping alone tonight.” These two old citizens have lived in tandem
as man and wife nearly 68 years…a lifetime of memories shared. Dad kissed her
and whispered, “I’ll be there tomorrow night.”
I
pushed past the lump in my throat, “God will cover you with one hand and Daddy
with the other. He’ll connect you in Christ as you sleep.” Sadly, an unspoken
reality lingers…in the not-so-distant future a final goodbye looms.
What
challenges are you facing as the years pass by? Perhaps cancer, the onset of
Alzheimer’s, a prison sentence, divorce, the loss of a friend, a broken heart?
Are the golden years not so golden?
Life
is hard. Most of us will face the challenges of old age sooner than later. And
it takes more than courage, more than strength of character to live them
wisely. But if we stay our eyes on the One who knows well the way, our strength
will not wane; our courage will not fail us. He promised.
Old
favorites, sung “as unto the Lord” comfort me as I journey. Perhaps the chorus
of this WWI tune will encourage you, as well. As during WWII, Dad still sings
it to Mom.
“There’s
a long, long trail a-winding into the land of my dreams, where the nightingales
are singing and a white moon beams. There’s a long, long night of waiting until
my dreams all come true; till the day when I’ll be going down that long, long
trail with you.”
DJ Note writes from Eagle Point, Oregon.