GETTING OLDER

THE SUBJECT OF GETTING OLD

I know you may find this a strange subject to find on a web site for mainly genealogy. But I find getting old or older and the attitude you have towards it has a lot to do with your overall personality. Most people go through life not realizing that they too are getting older, until illness or some other thing ( like getting a new full length mirror ) brings it to your attention. Now you can either joke about it or take it serious enough that it will get you down, depressed or worse yet interfere with your life. I find you have to make adjustments in life. And getting old is just another adjustment to make. Here are some cute things I have on growing old and some of the opinions expressed by family about getting old.

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There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of LIFE...Getting back up is LIVING*** author unknown

I don't know who wrote this but I think it hits home.

Old Age is a gift

The other day someone asked me how I felt about being old. I didn't think I was Old........... At least inside, I felt the same as when I was much younger. However the years have taken it's toll and my health and stamina are not what they once were..... So I thought about it...............

Old age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the gray hair the wrinkles and a few extra pounds... And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my good friends, my wonderful life, or my family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't beat myself up for eating things I shouldn't or for buying things I don't really need or shouldn't have at my age.

I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

I will continue to Hunt and perhaps take up Fishing. I will enjoy it even when it gets less and less successful..... I will continue to enjoy it, until it also becomes a fond memory.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when you see your Children or Grand-Children suffer, or even when a beloved Horse or good Dog is no longer outside to great me on a warm summer morning..... But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived at least this many years to see my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never Laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no," and mean it. I can say "yes," and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer the question, I kinda like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

I really like this next little article. It tells about a woman who can multi-task It goes to show you there isn't enough time in one day.

Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,

I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,

I notice mail on the porch table that

I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,

put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,

and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back

on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think,

since I'm going to be near the mailbox

when I take out the garbage anyway,

I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table,

and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,

so I go inside the house to my desk where

I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,

but first I need to push the Coke aside

so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm,

and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,

a vase of flowers on the counter

catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and

discover my reading glasses that

I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,

but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,

fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.

Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,

I'll be looking for the remote,

but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,

so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,

but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,

but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,

get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to

remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed

the bills aren't paid

there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter

the flowers don't have enough water,

there is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,

I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all #### day,

and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,

and I'll try to get some help for it,

but first I'll check my e-mail....

I don't know who wrote this next little article but it is so true. TM

I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.

I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special.

Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there." Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance

This next was e-mailed to me by a freind and it made me remember looking at my grandma's hands when I was a kid and asking her why her hands were all wrinkled and she smiled and said yours will be some day because I had pretty smooth hands once but I have done a lot of work with my hands. Now my hands are wrinkled and old and I know what she meant.

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear voice strong. "I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I explained to her. "Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?" I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making. Grandma smiled and related this story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. "They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. "They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. "They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken,dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me u p, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. "These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ." I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face. When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you, and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue praying for one another. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both. Passing this on to one not yet considered a friend is something Christ would do.

Author Unknown

I love this picture both my mother and grandmother made the most beautiful quilts. My mother always liked the crazy quilt which was a lot of little pieces of material cut any which way and sewed together. She didn't have to worry about getting the seams and all just so. My grandmother would set and work on hers very carefully getting each piece in place with much patience she would make a double wedding ring, the log cabin or my favorite the fan quilt. I can remember one fan quilt she made from men's old ties. She always liked the Dresden plate quilt. One thing of Grandma's I always wanted was a fan quilt of hers. One year while I was visiting my younger sister Marjorie she gave me the one that I now have. It is one of my most prized bit of genealogy that I have. I want to thank my sister Marjorie for being such a loving and giving person she is a lot like her namesake our grandmother.

What is A Grandparent

This hilarious letter was written by a child: "A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own. She likes other people's little girls and boys. A grandfather is a man grandmother. He goes for walks with boys; they talk about fishing and stuff like that. Grandmothers don't have anything to do except to be there. They are so old that they shouldn't play hard or run. It is enough if they drive us to the store where the pretend horse is, and have lots of money ready. Or if they take us for walks, they slow down for things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They should never say 'hurry up'. Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums off. Grandmothers don't have to be smart, only answer questions like, 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?' Grandmothers don't talk baby-talk like visitors do, because it's hard to understand. When they read to us they don't skip, or mind if it's the same story over again. Everybody should have a grandmother, especially if they don't have a television, because they are the only grown-ups who have time."

Grandparent, if you're not happy with the job you did the first time around, you get a second bite at the apple - with your grandchildren. Don't blow it! If your children are raising your grandchildren in the ways of God, encourage them and reinforce their teaching by your own example. If they've neglected to do this, step into the gap immediately. "Teach¡¦ your children and¡¦ their children after them" (Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV).

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To folks that know how to enjoy life....

A Wild Night At My House

HOW TRUE IT IS

Another year has passed

And we're all a little older.

Last summer felt hotter

And winter seems much colder.

I rack my brain for happy thoughts,

To put down on my pad,

But lots of things, That come to mind

Just make me kind of sad.

There was a time not long ago

When life was quite a blast.

Now I fully understand

About 'Living in the Past'.

We used to go to friends' homes,

Baseball games and lunches.

Now we go to therapy, to hospitals,

And after-funeral brunches.

We used to have hangovers,

From parties that were gay.

Now we suffer body aches

And sleep the night away.

We used to go out dining,

And couldn't get our fill.

Now we ask for doggie bags,

Come home and take a pill.

We used to travel often

To places near and far.

Now we get backaches

From riding in the car.

We used to go out shopping

For new clothing at the Mall

But, now we never bother...

All the sizes are too small.

That, my friend is how life is,

And now my tale is told.

So, enjoy each day and live it up...

Before you're too damn old!!

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Last night, my kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.' They got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine. They¡¯re such asses ...

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Definition of "OLD"

First you tell your friend that you are having an affair. Then your friend asks you, 'Are you having it catered???' THAT, my friend, is the definition of OLD!!!!!!!!!