In July, I turn 65 and for the past 3 months, insurance companies have hounded me to sign up for Medicare. From emails to phone calls and even Facebook ads, they implore me to choose their supplement or Advantage plan. The stubborn part of me, continues to procrastinate. Why do all these people persist in pointing out that I’m almost 65? Tell me why I should be celebrating this exceptionally unwelcome birthday?
I’ve often heard it said that a person doesn’t visualize themselves at their given age. Inside we still see the teen-ager or young adult we once were . . . until we look at our reflection. Then we notice the wrinkles and the baggy skin and there is no doubt. We have aged. Only our eyes show the sparkle and shine of our youth. Are they truly a mirror into our soul?
The eyes are a mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden; like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.
Paulo Coelho de Souza-author of The Alchemist.
All of who I am resides behind these blue eyes I inherited from my father. My passion and inner drive. My creativity and desire to explore the world. Plus, my stubbornness and need to be right. All this and more but not with the same level of energy I once had. When I remember everything I did during medical school and residency to survive, it makes me tired just thinking about those days. How did I ever make it with three young children to raise? Only by the grace of God.
In the same way I depend on the sun’s rising and setting each day, I trust that God is the originator of each breath I take. This I know to be true. If I’m still alive for my 65th birthday, it is because of Him. And, if I remain here on earth (not with the Lord in heaven), God has more for me to do.
It’s time to stop feeling sorry for myself and celebrate the life I’ve been given.
Yes, it may take me a little longer to accomplish the tasks set before me. But age won’t stop the dreams God places in my heart. For goodness sake, Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until the age of 77. In all, she produced around 2000 paintings until her death at the age of 101. Who am I to complain about my unwelcome birthday? I’m still a youngster compared to her.
Good people will prosper like palm trees, and they will grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. They will take root in your house, Lord God, and they will do well. They will be like trees that stay healthy and fruitful, even when they are old And they will say about you, “The Lord always does right! God is our mighty rock.”
Psalms 92:12-15 CEV
As long as the sparkle remains in my eyes, it doesn’t matter if I’m 65, 85, or 101. God has left me here for a purpose and the primary purpose is to love. Love God, my family, and love my neighbor (whoever that may be). Love like Jesus. He loved the unlovable (you and me) and I’m called to follow His example.
So, let all my senior friends, 65 and up, celebrate an unwelcome birthday party together. Thank goodness. God’s not done with us yet!
Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.
Dwight L Moody
