The secret to a long life is growing old. Most of us cringe at that option, but for those who have made it through the process, I say “Congratulations. Now what?” By the time we reach our 80s, our bodies have given way to gravity. I used to be 5’3″. Now I’m pushing 5′. I truly believe that those three inches slipped down to my hips and at times to my ankles. This has resulted in a pear-shaped body known as “Jabba the Hutt syndrome.” Everything sags, even my eyelids. My face is wrinkled, largely due to the many children I’ve taught over the years. My skin is dry and even a large can of motor oil would quickly be absorbed in seconds, making no impact. I’m fortunate to have the ability to think. My memory is in pretty good shape. My hearing is shot. My teeth come out at night. Should I really go on. I’m getting depressed here.

The true secret to a long life has less to do with the condition of your physical self, and mor with your mental and spiritual health. I grew up in the “Silent Generation,” a time when you kept your mouth shut. If you had opinions, you simply didn’t express them. Self-esteem wasn’t in the vocabulary. Self-worth was determined by what you did to make a living, and extras were something you didn’t think about because they were unnecessary. Because of that, we raised our children to feel good about themselves – gave them positive feedback – rewarded them with participation awards and overcompensated for our own lack of those things. The mistakes we made in parenting were passed down to the next generations and I’d be considered an old fuddy duddy if I expounded on that. Well, if the shoe fits, right?

As we age, our minds also grow old. All the information stored in that grey matter has overloaded and much of it has disappeared. Keeping our minds active is essential to aging gracefully. Simple things like playing solitaire, doing puzzles or taking up a hobby are ways to stay sharp. My mind kind of resembles my laptop. Most of the keys are illegible. The memory has been updated so many times that it’s practically extinct. I refuse to buy a new one, because I’m too cheap to invest in one. As human beings we become out of date as well. At times we become invisible to others. Our opinions don’t always matter. Our ideas are antiquated and so on.

That’s why it’s so important to keep our spiritual life healthy. Attend church services, weather permitting, or watch online streaming. Participate in a Bible study group. Join the choir (if you can still sing.) Share your life experiences with others and how you got through them. With gray hairs comes wisdom which is priceless to those struggling in today’s world. Stay in the Word of God, the Bible. You can get it online – in large print editions – and a variety of translations. We don’t stop learning about our Heavenly Father as we grow older. We simply realize how very much we need Him to get through this whole aging thing.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER MOMENT TO SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH THOSE WHO NEED TO HEAR IT. THANKS FOR ALL THE BLESSINGS YOU’VE GIVEN ME DURING THIS LONG AGING PROCESS. YOUR PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN IS YOUR GREATEST GIFT. I CAN HARDLY WAIT!