They say age doesn’t matter unless you’re a cheese. But when you’ve outlived cassettes, eight tracks, vinyl records, CDs, Beta, VHS and DVDs, you know you’re older than most, and if you have accumulated much sense at all, you realize you’re in danger of turning into a geezer. At such times, it’s a good idea to remember people we admire.
At 89, Doris Haddock began walking the over 5,000-kilometer journey between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Granny D, as she became known, walked 10 miles, that’s 16 kilometres a day, even skiing when conditions required it. At 94, she pursued a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first book until she was 64. Little House In The Big Woods was the first in a series that became so well-loved that it was adapted for TV and began airing in 1974. She wrote the last book in the series These Happy Golden Years at the age of 76.
Here are 3 characteristics of older people I admire:
- They practice gratitude. They don’t let aches and pains and the latest news drag them down; they are too busy focusing on things that are pure and lovely and of good report.
- They shine spotlights. They’ve stepped off centre stage, but they play an active role in encouraging the younger generation.
- They are people of prayer.
“Even in old age they will still produce fruit” (Psalm 92:14). The good old King James says, “They shall be fat and flourishing.”
In the pop music world, the young and thin and beautiful thrive. To hit 35 and look like it is a grievous sin for a pop star. So, they lift, nip, tuck, and inject, hoping to at least look young from a distance. Back in 2009, millions were transfixed when a plain-looking 48-year-old stepped onto the show “Britain’s Got Talent” and brought the house down. Susan Boyle would sell 19 million albums and credit her faith in God for giving her the strength to overcome a difficult childhood, learning disabilities, and the death of her mother. “Faith is the backbone of who I am,” she told reporters.
We’re not too young or too old to use the gifts God gives. We can encourage or serve, some of us can even sing. If that’s you, feel free to record a song for me. Send it to me on cassette, 8-track, gramophone, Dictaphone, or via ham radio.
