In this category are Full of Years blogs that examine how time fills the lives of older persons. Time as a gift and time as a responsibility. Implicit in all entries: This is a good time to be living fully.
The entries for yesterday and today look at the idea of “endings”, and how we might react to that idea as it plays out in our lives. Today: How endings effect my spirit. As I move through my seventh decade of life I’m more and more intrigued how ending-ideas worm their way into my thoughts. The current seasons of the calendar and liturgical years nudge me to make sense of these matters. Not justMORE...
The entries for today and tomorrow look at the concept of “endings”, and how we might react to that idea as it plays out in our lives. Today: Some concept exploration…. The title above, evocative of scores of cartoons, is also familiar emotional territory for older adults. Endings of any kind may seem to gather like lifespan sentries, silently watching as we move toward conclusive events andMORE...
Every time I sing that phrase—in the final verse of ”The Church’s One Foundation” by Samuel Stone—I choke up just a bit. Those few words remind me of a sweet truth: By God’s grace, and because I am old now, I am connected to multitudes of folks like you! And what’s even sweeter is that I don’t have to wait for St. John’s vision in Revelations 7 eventually to come to pass. There is a “mystic sweetMORE...
Like a happy puppy, another birthday just galumphed up next to me, doing its best to get my attention. Again this year, I am glad to consider the blessings of my past, my satisfaction with the present and my hopes for the future. As the total years of my life add more and more numerals, it becomes a frequent feature of my waking moments to ask, “How much longer?” The question can serve as aMORE...
In these later decades of life, I have come to see even more fully the value of being immersed in the natural world. The lessons I learn from being among nature’s small and large wonders form the basis of this series of blogs. Today’s thought: How we who are older might compare ourselves to volcanoes…. Several times in life I’ve had the opportunity to explore a variety of geologicalMORE...
Our mountain home’s shower house is falling apart. Granted, it’s over 75 years old and has been in gradual decline for several decades. But older buildings shouldn’t just deteriorate like that—they’re supposed to be a symbol of stability and permanence in a world that always seems to be disassembling itself. To be direct: I don’t like to see this legacy building—on our family’s heritageMORE...
Now that I have your attention—perhaps you were thinking that this entry would offer a plaintive sadness about the slow departure of youthfulness?—let me come clean: What I really hope we can think about together is the second section of the Pennsylvania Dutch aphorism: “Too late we grow smart!” While the first part of the saying is always true—who can avoid the inevitability of aging?—theMORE...
It’s likely that your life has been packed with the blessings given to you by mentors, coaches, teachers, sponsors, counselors, pastors, youth group leaders, employers, supervisors and other people who helped you become who you are today. They deserve to know how their investment in your life turned out! Few of these individuals expect to know the eventual results of their efforts on yourMORE...
A few years back, my high school graduating class celebrated our fiftieth anniversary with a reunion. It was a fully satisfying event, and I came away full of gratitude for these folks—who they were back then and who they are now. During the get-together, we wondered about the classmates that weren’t with us, and what has transpired in their lives. “Whatever happened to (fill in theMORE...
I’ve watched this feeling grow in some older adults who I have known well: They finally get tired of the work of staying alive, and just give up. What I have also seen: the difficulty of bringing up this matter with those around them. How do any of us tell those who love us that we’re ready to die? What words do we use? What will our loved ones be ready to hear? How do we broach the subjectMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.