“Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights;
Four nights will quickly dream away the time.”   William Shakespeare

As time goes by, we tend to dwell on the past. We have fond memories of a time when we fell in love, time when goals were met, when we raised a family, faced new challenges and yes, even the bad things that turned into good. God has blessed me with the ability to delete many of the bad memories from my data bank. Unfortunately, they sometimes resurface, and I realize why I wanted to forget them in the first place.

Over the last decade, there have been numerous changes in my life. Ten years ago, I was still actively working with a group of theatre students. By the time I was 75 it was time to retire. I lasted for a year before getting bored of doing nothing, so became involved with a performing arts group. Since then, I continue to create and enjoy life. We downsized when I retired. For almost eight years we’ve been living in an old (1875) farmhouse which is half the size of our previous home. Now it’s time for another change. Someone once told me that retirement was a time to relax and enjoy life, but it seems that the challenges will probably continue until I take my last breath.

I’ve learned that retirement really means that life slows down, but the metamorphous continues. Letting go of things, places, jobs and time is difficult.  Aging is tough.  It’s not for the faint of heart.  Raging through time for me has turned into endless sleep.  I’m tired.  I’m really, really tired. It’s difficult to go from full blast to slow burn, but I’m trying. During the time of building a cocoon, we often build a protective wall around ourselves.  Now it’s time to cast off that wrapping and begin to realize our true potential.

Aging doesn’t have to be the end of life. It can be a beautiful transformation if we allow it to happen.

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.”