Silver Hair is a Crown of Glory

I don't usually enjoy going to the grocery store, but this particular Saturday morning was different. It started out normal with the coupons and comparing prices that lead to nothing unusual or abnormal. There is at least one familiar face I see when I'm out shopping. Today, it was a couple different faces I noticed.
Down this one isle was an elderly couple and each one had his and her own cart. They were comparing grocery list and deciding where they were going to go next. The couple was so involved in their task that they didn't notice the line of patient shoppers behind them. I stood there and wondered what these two were like in their prime years. They both were short and fragile looking as some elders do. I wondered if he was taller and masculine built or was he always short?  I wondered if she too was a bit taller and the head of her classmates. I had to giggle inside a couple of times for the way they were communicating to each other. If they were not married, they sure acted like it. They were...well adorable. 
As the woman and man finished marking their sheets of paper the man said to the woman "Now where are you going again?" The woman exclaimed "To the ice cream, remember?!"  The older gentleman replied "oh, yes, that's right."  I smiled as the woman turned her cart and made her eyes wide open and said "sheesh."
Then I went to the next isle and all I could hear in a male's voice was "George!"  "George!" "Hey George!". I looked up to see a young man in his 40's (I guess) walk up the 80 year old man (again a guess) and said "George, didn't you hear me calling you?"  The two men began engaging in a conversation. 
I sometimes enjoy watching people or asking them about their prime time. Most of them will have a lot of memories to share and then there are others who only have one or two.
I am intrigued with the older generation because they have a lot of wisdom and that's what I want. There seems to always be a lesson in their stories. If you ever have the opportunity to ask an elder about their glory days, I encourage you to take it. They just may say something to you that might help you or someone else one day.
There is much to be said about white or silver hair. I think it is best summed up this way:
Proverbs 16:31
The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.

So the next time you are around an elderly person, don't take them for granted, ask them about a piece of their history. You just might be amazed at what they share.

~ Be encouraged by someone older today

Grief and Death: Old Friends

We all have experienced death in our lifetime from friends, family, and co-workers. Death has a way of taking people out of our lives quickly through car accidents or slowly through illnesses. No matter what though, we all either choose to grieve or not to grieve. What about grieving while the person is still alive?

I mean, we have friends and family in our lives that we know are going to die, but why grieve now? 

Sometimes we don't even know we are grieving. 

It's ironic. We know that one day all of us are going to die and meet our maker. So why do we wait to grieve before that phone call, email, text, or Facebook message comes? Why do we wait to the last minute to grieve? I recently asked a friend of mine that very question. She told me, that for so long there were no programs to help us with grief. There were limited help on grieving. Now there are all kinds of study on how grief affects our body, mind, and soul. 

Today I got the news that a friend of mine that I grew up with has died. I am grieving for the loss of her smile. I got news this past month that my sister has cancer and is in stage four. I have a friend that is getting older and  less healthy every day. Aren't we all going to die one day? Listening to my friend from Hospice made me realize that I am surrounded by death and I might be grieving early. 

Honestly, I got off the phone and said, "right, I'm not grieving." The more I thought about it and the more that I recognized all the people around me that are not as healthy as they once were or already died; I just might be grieving and still grieving. 

August will mark another year of my father's passing out of this life.I can't decide to celebrate or if I am still grieving. I know that my friends at Hospice always have their doors open and have a counselor ready to listen. You might think it is ridiculous to talk to someone about grief when the person is still alive, but I believe that it is better to be prepared than to face it at the last moment. 

Jesus talked about his death to his disciples before it took place. He was trying to help them understand that his death was going to come and though they may grieve it was for a worthy cause (John 14). He told his disciples that where He was going they could not go yet. Isn't that what is happening or happened to those who have died before us. We are unable to go where they have gone because it is not our time. So what do we do while waiting?  I say let our light shine Let us be a reflection of the love our friends invested in us to shine and invest into others. Let's leave a legacy, a memorial, a remembrance, a token of love for others to see. 

Be encourage that it's not too early to grieve.