Tuesday, September 28, 2010

When We Grow Up


Yesterday I wrote about the wonderful gang of children and youth who took part in worship on Sunday morning. Today I'll go in the other direction, to our oldest member. It occurred to me on Friday that Muriel had a birthday while I was away, so I went to see her. Every birthday is an event for Muriel because she hit the century mark four years ago. Yup, she turned 104 on September 1st. Not surprisingly the parts are wearing out for Muriel.

I asked how she was feeling and she conceded that she can't see, can't hear, and can't walk. Somehow she could chuckle about this. She admitted that it is frustrating that she is so dependent on others, but quickly went on to say that she didn't want to be a complainer. Life has been good, and God has been good. She grew up in a Christian family, she always tells me, and that was the solid foundation for a meaningful life.

Muriel has become physically tiny and seem to gets smaller every time I see her. She is a huge woman in terms of her gratitude for the life God has given her and the dignity she still exudes. Don't you want to be like her when you grow up?

Do you have elderly friends or family who are an example for you?

5 comments:

roger said...

Yes - my father is 85 years old and says that he does not sweat the small stuff medically. He looks around and sees people much younger than himself passing on and realizes how lucky he is. He is very practical and pragmatic, and having faced death in WW2, sees how fortunate he is to make it so far.

God bless him.

Lynnof60 said...

I remember when i used to look at younger people and wanted to look and be like them. I find now that I am looking at older people (yes, older than me!) to get some life lessons for the next part of my life. Luckily I come from good stock. My Mother and my Stepfather were such wonderful role models. They remained interesting and interested in life. They were both such hard workers and lived through desperate times. It made them so grateful would anything and everything they had. There are many people in our congregation that I marvel at...I DO want to be like them when I grow up.

David Mundy said...

Thanks for these examples. So many of us owe a debt of gratitude to the people who have held the light to help us move forward. Interesting that both of you note the tough times which helped to shape their character.

sjd said...

I come from a family with a good track record of living well beyond the average.
In the immortal words of Yellow Beard the pirate "You'll have to kill me before I die".
I've really grown to appreciate my father over the past few years. He's retired now and many days is much busier than when he was working. I asked him about this and he told me that he doesn't like to get up and not be productive. My grandfather was the same way, and he lived well into his ninties with asthma all the way. He worked everyday well into his 80's.
Guess I better get busy.

David Mundy said...

Teh "burn out" rather than "rust out model is a healthy one, it seems to me. Actually, assuming that we can contribute to a better world until we breath our last is a great role model. It's good to hear about your dad and grandfather sjd.