When you reach the Golden Years, you are at the epitome of your existence. Life is finally winding down and you don’t have to work as hard as you did in your 50s. You have earned the right to take it easy and enjoy the rest of your days. NOT!
What really happens is this. All your worldly belongings are now considered antiques. You crash at 8:30 in the evening. You put your teeth in a cup at night and your ears and eyes on the nightstand. You still roll out of bed in the morning, but you spend half an hour trying to get on your feet. When you do get up, your body no longer reaches full height. You take so many pills it’s no wonder you forget which ones you took. Your memory is failing. You’re not as quick in your movement. Your body has lost the battle with gravity and everything is now five inches lower than it used to be.
You suddenly have to rely on help for the simple tasks, and since you can’t depend on others, (because they are taking care of the same tasks in their own lives) so you must take a part-time job to pay a professional to do the job.
Once you reach retirement age, you have outlived your earning potential. If you are depending on living only on Social Security, you might as well throw in the towel. Financially planning for old age is a great idea, but no one tells you that your 401K could have dissolved by then or that you’d be spending most of it on car repairs, home maintenance, doctor bills and medication.
Everything in our society is geared towards youth. Even the idea of caring for aging parents has been almost forgotten. Many countries still revere the aged. Not so much in the United States. In the land of the free, it’s everyone for himself.
Now that I am part of this growing population of the elderly, I have to tell you it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. We start our lives as totally dependent infants and find ourselves in the same place when we reach our 70s and beyond.
What does God say about old age?
Dear, Lord – You have sustained my life for a long time now. You’ve given me strength when I need it; patience when things seem overwhelming; hope when it looks like nothing will ever be right; faith when I lack it; and perseverance when I think I can’t go on. Help me, in my old age, to put my focus on all you have done for me and give me the stamina to press on to heaven where perfection waits for me.
Leviticus 19:32 — (ESV) “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.“
atimetoshare.me 
Amen. Last month, my doctor referred me to a surgeon for my injured right shoulder. There, I was told that the only type of surgery that might help is a shoulder replacement. It’s osteoarthritis, he said. He looked down at my gnarly knuckles and pointed out that I have it in my hands, too. It’s caused by years of wear and tear on the joints, he said.
Earlier this month, on my birthday, my doctor ordered a 48 hour portable heart Holter monitor. i had gone to see my doctor that day, because I recently got dizzy and fell all the way to the floor for no apparent reason. I had also noticed that something like a fish seemed to be jumping around in my chest.
Yesterday, my doctor’s office called to inform me that the report on the Holter indicates that I need to see a cardiologist. “You had numerous episodes of PVCs and PACs, which are all benign. But you also had two episodes of rolling ventricular fibrillation…”
Yikes. I’m sure I know exactly when those two episodes occurred. They happened back to back, and I thought I was about to leave this world right then.
I am looking forward to going to heaven. But… I really would like to finish writing my memoir first. And I don’t want to leave my husband, who depends on me for so many things. And our three rescue dogs need me, too, to let them out and back in all day long. And the laundry is piling up, I gotta get that done. And then there’s the spare bedroom, still full of boxes I need to unpack and go through. We only moved into this house four years ago!
Lord, Your will be done. On the inside, I feel like I am only about 25 years old. In reality, I am 69. Not that old, but not young, either. Lord Jesus, I trust in You. I have gained a lot of insight and healing during these years that I have been writing a memoir. Maybe God does not want me to publish it?
But…. who will let the dogs out? 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
I totally understand. You should try to finish your memoir. It will keep you going for a little more time. Whether you publish it or not it has been a tool God has given you to work through your past. I am sure that many others would benefit from your story too.
I’ll be 80 next month. As I see so many of my friends passing and young ones suffering through difficult illnesses, I wonder why I’m not in heaven yet. I guess God has something in mind for both of us. Don’t worry who will let the dogs out. Hod has plans for them too❤️❤️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, dear Kathy. Your loving reply brought grateful tears to my eyes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My last thought toward my old age today, happened about an hour ago when I awoke from a nap, and longed in my heart to be able to bend my knees in thanks to my Lord. He is great; I want to kneel before him again – in this life. I could fall down before him, but I couldn’t get up. Oh, but the chair is mighty comfortable, and the bed even more so. He hears me from those spots; I am glad. And aren’t we glad he still has projects for us!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Been undecided about commenting. I am younger and I bow to your wisdom. My sister is older by 5-6 months, but she says the same things. The surgeon has yet to see my wrist, left hand, etc. because my wife has been on a roll when it comes to doctor visits, and I need a day to decompress, which allows the wrist to not hurt as much. As for the 401K paying for bills, our Medicare supplement is one of those zero co-pay varieties. We wave our hands and leave the doctor’s office, but the plan does not cover dental and with this past two months, I may have to get a part-time job if we need any more dental work. But I keep reminding myself that I am one day closer to seeing Jesus. That and a couple of Advil and I am good for another day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My sister is older than you by 5-6 months – one thing about getting old is that you lose your train of … I haven’t been on a train in …
LikeLiked by 1 person