Wouldn’t it be wonderful to put on a pair of shoes like this? Especially when you get to be my age. In a couple years I’ll be 80. I never thought I’d make it this long, but here I am. Where am I again?

Well actually, I’ve not completely lost my memory, but each day it seems to get a little more worn out – like every other part of my anatomy. Somehow there is no amount of collagen that will cut through the cellulite. Those dimples are now a permanent part of your hips, thighs and other more conspicuous places.

Retinol, Botox, injections, plastic surgery and body contouring are all options available to anyone who has thousands of dollars to spend on their appearance, but when you’re almost eighty, there doesn’t seem much point in making such an investment when you know you aren’t long for this world.

Americans are consumed with how they look. Those who think they are making a statement with their hair color, body piercings and tattoos are simply following the crowd and eliminating their uniqueness. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all just enjoyed what God has endowed us with?

Memory is important to me for a number of reasons. If you’ve ever read the Sparks book, “The Notebook,” you will understand one of them. I am a writer. It behooves me as such to keep a record of things like the heroine in that story. Her husband read her journal to her, in order to stir her dying memory. It was a real tear jerker and also thought provoking. Since reading the book and seeing the movie, I find it imperative to write things down.

I also am a performer at times. I do less of it lately, but I find it keeps my memory sharper. When you have to memorize lines, blocking, interaction, responses, etc. you rely totally on your brain power to get you through the process.

My mother and both of my grandmothers lived to their 80s and 90s and were sharp as tacks in spite of numerous physical ailments. I pray that I will retain my sanity as well as my memory through the coming years.

Getting old doesn’t have to mean giving up. I refuse to do so. As time wears on me physically and I find it harder each day to do the things I did only a day before, I will continue to trust that God has a plan for every moment of my life. When we think that way, we’re allowing Him to do the good work in us that is totally for our benefit.

Dear Lord, Thank you for all your blessings. Even when the world around us is closing in on us and it seems that things are upside down, I know that only you can bring order from the confusion. Help us to turn to you, to depend and rely on you, to carry out your plan for us. In Jesus name, Amen!