Old People

A friend sent me this:

Crabby Old Man
What do you see nurses? ......What do you see?
What are you thinking......when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man, ..not very wise,
Uncertain of habit ........with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food.......and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice....."I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice ..the things that you do.
And forever is losing .............. A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not...........lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding ...... The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse......you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am .......... As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .....as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten.......with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .........who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen ..........with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now. ..........a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty .........my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows........that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now .......... I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide ..... And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty ......... My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other ........ With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons ....have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me........to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .......... Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children ......... My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me .......... My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ...........I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .......young of their own.
And I think of the years...... And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man.........and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age .......look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles..........grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone........where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass ...... A young guy still dwells,
And now and again ........my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys.............. I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living.............life over again.
I think of the years ....all too few......gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact........that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people ..........open and see..
Not a crabby old man. Look closer....see........ME!!

Anytime I see an old person, my heart goes out to them. I don't know where this heart from the old came from. The only grandparent I knew was my grandma. She used to come stay with us occasionally. I don't remember a lot about her. She would sit and crochet all day. I can not remember a single conversation with her. I do remember that she tried to teach me to crochet, something that didn't stick because I don't know how. She made me a crocheted doll blanket and an afghan. I got to pick the colors for the afghan. It is obvious that I was in elementary school when I did this - black borders and neon colors. I worked as a unit clerk at a nursing home once. It was one of my first jobs after high school. I liked it. I used to think I wanted to be a nursing home administrator, but now I don't think I would want to deal with all the rules and regulations and such. Being an activity director would be fun, but I don't think the pay would be what I have become accustomed to. Maybe some day I will have an opportunity to volunteer with senior citizens at church, but right now we are involved in a church with mostly young members. For now, I will just stay close to my dear aunts and uncles. I send them emails, birthday cards, and call them occasionally. I am always amazed at how appreciative they are. It is something that doesn't take a lot of effort on my part, but it certainly means a lot.

Regret

From the Life Lesson in my daily reading:

He encouraged all to work faithfully without procrastinating...Some days never come. And the price of practicality is sometimes higher than extravagance. But the rewards of risky love are always greater than its cost. Go to the effort. Invest the time. Write the letter. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it. The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglected brings regret.

Often times I will be debating doing something in my mind (usually when I am trying to decide whether to go visit someone in the hospital, go to a funeral, stopping by a relative's when I am close), and to help myself decide I ask this question, "Will I regret doing it or not doing it?" Usually, the answer is that I would regret not doing it. So, I take the time and make the visit and I am always blessed by it.

Card Drawer

This is the drawer I cleaned out yesterday. I had a lot more cards than I thought. I need to go on a card buying fast until I use them all.

By the way, I think people LOVE getting cards, especially for no particular reason. I know I do. It is a nice break from all the junk mail and bills that I normally get. When I was in high school, I was friends with some college guys and we wrote each other cards and letters all the time. They LOVED it! College kids rarely get any decent mail. I am sure that is when my card mailing started. I would laugh at their letters. Once I sprayed a letter with perfume and the first one home, put it in a ziploc bag to save the scent. I thought that was so funny!

Who have you sent a card to lately?

Peaches

You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "care-full," you find yourselves cared for. ~ Matthew 5:7 (The Message)

This is part of my weekly "Memorize the Message" verse. When I read it, it reminded me of something that happened this summer. I had just started a new "Keep in Touch" healthy habit and Sugar Pop and I had gone out to eat. I saw a man at the restaurant who reminded me of my dad's cousin who had passed away 4 years ago. I thought to myself that I should call his wife to say hello sometime. I wrote her name down on our receipt (because I knew I would forget). The next day I am sitting on home, working on bills and find the receipt with her name on it (yes, I had forgotten). I looked up her number and called her. We visited for a little bit and then she asked if I would like some fresh peaches. Heck Yeah! So, I went over to her house and picked peaches and we had a nice visit. Here I was trying to be a blessing (being "care-full") and I ended up being blessed (cared for) with the most AWESOME tasting peaches I had had in years.

I have four bags of peaches in the freezer. I think I will pull one out today to enjoy and give her a call to thank her again for the treat.