It’s been almost eight years since we downsized into a home half the size of where we were living for 24 years before. So, I guess we’ve accumulated enough junk to make another move. When age catches up with you – when you’ve lived a “full” life – when your family and friends tell you it’s time – let the shopping begin. Our last move involved looking at what seemed like a thousand homes before we made a decision. We’re now in the early process of checking out what’s out there in the senior living realm. OK, so I’m almost 82 and I should be excited about this, right?

I’ve heard many senior living places have wine bars and a great social atmosphere. I’ve even seen evidence of that as my troupe of fellow actors visited many of them and performed for them. Now I’m one of them. I knew the day would come, but there’s something about the finality of it that brings out my feelings of hesitation. I go back in time when we made this very decision for our own mothers. It wasn’t easy for us to do for them, but a very necessary situation.

I’m not afraid or stubborn or am I fighting this. In actuality I am very afraid, extremely stubborn and not looking forward to this at all. There are so many pros to making this a reality, but a lot of cons as well. I have many friends who are older than me, who still live in their own homes. The health care system has taken care of us and given us longer lives. For me, all of this is kind of like jumping off a bridge. You realize you’ve come to that final stage of life, and you might as well give in and jump.

Like all things, the best place to turn when you’re troubled or anxious is to God’s Word. Even though our lives are in a constant state of transition, His Word remains the same. God doesn’t change either. He is with us in all that we do. He stands beside us in good times and bad. He knows what is coming next before we do. He’s planned our future perfectly for us. I know that my future is in His hands and that whatever happens in this life is only temporary.

Psalm 71:18 ESV – “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”