Ponderings from the Pastor                     

“Over 90 and Loving it!” 

           As I was driving home from church, I was trying to decide how to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon.  The thought of spending at least a    couple of hours as a couch potato emerged as the best option.  The only decision I would need to make was whether to watch a football game or the final round of the golf tournament.

        While channel surfing, the title of a program on the Public Television station caught my eye.  The program, titled “Over 90 and Loving it”, featured men and women in their 90’s and 100’s sharing their perspectives on living happy, productive lives at their advanced age.  I decided to watch  it for a few minutes and ended up watching and enjoying the entire program.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an uplifting and joyful hour of television.  All of the persons featured really demonstrated that life can be lived fully and productively at any age.  It really is a matter of attitude.

        A woman who called herself Grandma D. is now 100 years old and is still a political activist.  At the age of 89, she launched her own personal   protest against wasteful government spending by walking from California  to Washington, D.C., telling her story along the way.  It took her many months to take her walk, but by the time she got to Washington, she had over 2,000 people walking with her.

      Another woman decided to enter the Senior Texas Pageant.  She won  at the age of 88.  There was the couple who got married when both were 91 years old, proclaiming that they are experiencing “the happiest days of our lives”.  Pete Seeger, the aging folk singer, appeared on the show.  At 90 years old, he is still performing and keeps in shape by splitting firewood 2 or 3 times a week.

      I could go on and on with stories about  the fascinating folks who told their stories on this show.  But instead, I want to share some thoughts on what  they all seemed to have in common.  They all had a wonderful optimism about the future.  They got up in the morning, even with their aches and pains, expecting to be productive—to make a difference in the world.   As one 96 year old gentleman put it “when I get up I spend my day sharing joy and love.”  Almost everyone interviewed spoke of sharing the gifts they had - the gifts of experience, knowledge, and an enthusiasm for life.  None of them spent much time dwelling on the past.  Their focus was on what they could do today and what new experiences might be coming their way tomorrow.  And, they made it a point to stay in shape, physically, mentally and  spiritually.  They took time to take care of themselves.

        I think what struck me most was their enthusiasm for life and their enjoyment in living in the here and now.  Their uplifted spirits gave me a big boost.  If I, by God’s grace, happen to live into my 90’s, I hope I can have the same enthusiasm and optimism as the people featured on that TV show.

      These words from a Pete Seeger’s song express their spirit: 

“Though nations are warring and business is vexed,

I still stick around to see what happens next!”

                    

             Love and peace,                                       

                                     Rev. Jim