REFLECTIONS
October 9, 2011
 
 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
Psalm 139:14
 
 
Aging
 
            Some days bring special blessings, little surprises that seem to come from the ordinary; yet they feel so very special. Recently one of those days came my way.
            Hitting balls on the driving range was once a regular exercise for me, but with aging, the activity comes about less often. But on those days, as with this one, I often find myself alongside my friend, Ray. The conversation, though, drifted far from golf into the realm of life we call aging. My friend and I share that phenomenon only he has thought about it deeply. He expressed the joy and the pain that comes with life’s journey; and I felt blessed as he stood with moist eyes looking straight into mine and began to recite his story through a heartfelt poem he had written. With his consent, I share it here.
Aging
it is just amazing how the years
go by so fast
why, I’ve got less in my future
than I have in my past
 
but looking back
at all those years
I can see a lot more laughter
than I see tears
 
oh , I’m sad for my brother and others
who’s lives were short and never knew
the joy of hearing a child whisper
grandma, grandpa I love you
 
I have learned that true happiness
comes from within
I can’t tell you exactly where I’m going
but I can tell you where I’ve been
 
years ago my heart was broken, but how can a heart not break
when a child dies , it seems so wrong
yet that same broken heart would not give while battling a horrific cancer
it gave compassion and made me strong
 
and there is an aging man that lives in my mirror
that looks so much like my father
and I recall so vividly, with reverence
the teachings and love of my mother
 
                               oh , there are aches and pains and illnesses that seem to come with aging
                              but aging is a gift and I’m happy for me
                              because every day I inch ever closer to being
                             the man that God intended me to be
 
                                                                                             ray cevallos
            There it was, right from Ray’s heart, the God given gift of aging even with all its pain. Ray has a story to tell—a story of God’s love for him. It was a blessing to hear it right from his layman’s heart. And we should be willing to tell ours too. Your story may seem ordinary to you. But it just might be a special blessing in someone else’s day.
                                         
You are the light of the world,
RichardÌ

www.reflectingthesavior.org


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