The Age of ?

Lately I’ve been struggling with the fact that my parents (pictured at left a couple years ago at their 40th anniversary party) are aging. They both turned 65 this month, and while they are mostly in good health the cold hard fact remains that more of their lives are behind them than ahead of them at this point.  Yes, of course I know that everyone dies.   But my youthful spirit somehow manages to exclude my own parents from “everyone” most of the time, even though my father in law passed away 4 years ago.  People my parents’ age go to funerals for their friends’ parents- like my grandfather who passed away a few months ago at age 91.


But yesterday morning I attended final services for my dear friend Geoff’s mother. She was only 71.  Making the occasion even more sad is that Geoff’s father passed away only 2 1/2 weeks earlier of an unrelated illness.  My heart breaks for his family and admires their strength in dealing with this difficult turn of events.


So now the point has been hammered home to me more clearly than ever- most people outlive their parents and will have to go on without them for an undetermined length of time.


I frequently complain about my mother.  Sometimes I swear she must stay up nights trying to think of ways to annoy me!  But of course I love her and yes, I admit I would miss her if she were gone.  I try to avoid even thinking about losing my Dad because that just sends my youthful spirit running into a dark corner refusing to come out.


I’m not usually the sappy type, but please think of Geoff’s family in your prayers and hug your own loved ones every chance you get.  I like to think I’ll start doing a better job of appreciating mine as well.