Lucy may be crabby on Mondays, but by Friday, she’s really crabby. I, on the other hand enjoy every day that God wakes me up in the morning. Each day is a blessing when you get to be my age. Oh sure, our joints need lubricating, and our bodies need to be recharged. Our hearing lacks the sounds of birds singing outside our windows. Our sight, if not recently repaired through cataract surgery, isn’t what it should be. Coffee isn’t nearly enough to crank the engine. Oh, never mind. Mondays make me crabby too when I think about all those negatives. So how do we make Monday one of our favorite days of the week? The Bible has lots of good advice about thinking aging and accepting what we cannot change.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

I love that verse, because it perfectly describes the feelings we experience as we reach the golden years of living. No one tells you how quickly that gold turns to shriveled skin, weak bones, short memory, hearing aids, supports for every part of your body. When you’re young you feel you can conquer the world. When you reach 80, the world has conquered you. I am fortunate to be able to continue doing what I love to do in my life. I can still come up with thoughts to encourage others every day through my blog, but I have to struggle to lead myself out of feelings of depression and sadness at times. Physically and mentally, I’m in fair shape for my age, but when I let it, my mind goes to dark places occasionally – thinking I have nothing to offer the world anymore. There is always a reason for living. We may have to self-examine and be honest with ourselves to believe that, but it’s true. Here’s another verse to help us through.

Isaiah 46:4 “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

Knowing that God is with us to the very end sure can encourage us during those days when we don’t want to go on any longer. He placed us on this planet for a purpose and that carries a fair amount of weight, right? Don’t ever think your value is declining along with your body. What you leave behind will return through your children and grandchildren if you instill in them some of the values you have chosen over a lifetime. With that knowledge, you can make every day a good one.

Job 32:7 “I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.”

HAPPY MONDAY!

So, we live next to a very busy highway, which has been under construction for a little more than two years. Two years ago, in the coldest part of winter, we were sent a letter that our fence would be removed in the process and that we should remove anything that was attached to the fence along with anything that would encroach the right of way. Our son came over the next day to remove everything except the fence – which the contractor said they would remove and take away. He dug through snowbanks while fighting below freezing temperatures. Three days ago, we received another letter. It said they would begin building the sound barrier wall between the highway and our property and we should have everything cleared. Again, they said they would remove the fence. We let our daughter and son-in-law know and to make a long story short, they came over yesterday after working all day and did the job, including taking down the fence.

What seemed like an impossible task for the two of us, became a piece of cake for them. It brought a few things to mind as we watched them work. First it reminded us of how we would work together when we were younger to accomplish a task. We recalled how sometimes we would get in each other’s way, but the work got finished. It made me think of how much we now rely on our children to do tasks that we’re incapable of doing. I also thought about what a blessing we have to be able to call on family.

When you think about it, any kind of construction requires more than physical labor. We need to prepare, plan, think out, replan, rethink, rely on a team to get the work done. Sometimes there are insurmountable obstacles – like health issues, aging, lack of muscle mass and a possible hefty price tag which we couldn’t afford. All of these things act as huge potholes in the process. We need someone to smooth out the rough edges. Our lives are in a constant state of reconstruction, but we have a Master architect, builder, designer, planner and a whole crew all rolled into one. Our Creator God knows all about our flaws and chinks. He is the potter who crafted each individual into a living, breathing, thinking human being. We will be crushed with the burdens of living, but He is right there, as our loving Father God, to rebuild us again.

Needless to say, we’re grateful for our family. We have a whole new view from our backyard. what once enclosed a fairly quiet garden area is now gone, but soon it will return. All good things are worth waiting for. God loves us as His own children, and all that He does is for our good.

“The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.”

Charles Dickens