MATURING OR DEGENERATING?

Have you ever heard the phrase “young at heart?”

Does aging depend on our chronological age? I do not think so…. I have seen really old people that are ‘young at heart’ regardless of their age, and, and younger people that are worn out and old iin their looks and thinking.

What kind of person do you and I want to be? Our daily choices determine the path we will take.

My Dad, a World-War 2 veteran died suddenly at the age of 74 – he was fishing, a sport he loved, when he had a sudden heart-attack and died. He was hard-working and provided well for us even in the very ‘lean’ years. War did not embitter him but the time in Italy was heart wrenching as he watched the vulnerable suffer throught the war.  He was ‘young at heart’  and a blessing to the community we lived in…volunteer ‘Fire-Chief’ and pivital in the rescue operation in a devastating passenger-train disaster in our town, my mother a trained paramedic(St John’s Ambulance) was at his side with many other concerned  townsfolk.

My Mother was the only daughter in her family and she learned many skills from my grandmother; sewing, cooking, home management etc. she cared for my sister and brother, and the home, through the three years that my Dad was in Italy. Times were tough on many levels but she, and the other war wives, did their utmost to keep the homes functioning and that the children did not suffer. I can just imagine her struggle on the homefront and her constant anxiety about my Dad on the front lines.

They had to guard against deteriorating as many lives were dependent on them in different ways. Unfortunately, there were a number of people who were not as resilient and many families were devastated.

A verse from the Bible has been imprinted in my heart, and life, is this:-

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”   (John 16:33) … the best is yet to come!