Postcard #11

Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many. ~Author Unknown

On Easter Saturday, at the Easter Vigil Mass, my husband received three sacraments; Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Holy Confirmation. And because of his baptism, our marriage became a sacrament as well. It was a most humbling experience. It has taken us 4 years to get to this point (many trials and tribulations worth a separate postcard.) We couldn’t have done it without the prayers and support by our church community.
To celebrate this joyous event, we had our parish priest and my husband’s sponsor/Godparent and his wife to our home for dinner. John and Megan Crawford are in their late 70’s so they are physically very frail but very intellectual still. John had received the Order of Canada for his work in gerontology. It was my first time meeting them in person. I was so very fascinated with their stories of their life.
I have a great sense of respect and appreciation to older people. Many of my friends are older in their 50’s and 60’s. I belong to a book club whose average age is 60 excluding myself (the ladies are all retired). I love old music especially from the 30’s, 40’s and the 50’s. I’ve been trying to figure out why this is for a while. I don’t have a good answer yet.
I do not wish my life away of course, but I do look forward to my golden years. I also look forward to possibly living in a senior home. Being in a community of people and having meals cooked for you, I think I would enjoy it very much. Being old is a privilege. You were given the opportunity to live your life, gain wisdom, and learn about things, and really enjoy them.
I’ve often heard when I was younger that I was very mature for my age. I felt this was true. I’ve always related well with “older” people. My husband is 13 years older than me. I guess it is who I am. I am an older soul. I worry about these people who are going to leave me sooner or later. Or course this is the way of life, but what will I do without my old friends. I ponder this probable loneliness. However, when I am old, I shall look forward to being found by a younger person like me.
Here is a picture of Mother Teresa. This picture of her symbolizes old age, charity and Catholicism.