The View from My Window – Aging
When I was a little girl, someone told me I looked like my grandmother. In my mind, my grandmother was old, fat, and wrinkled. I began to cry. No little girl wants to look like that; it certainly wasn’t what I saw when I looked in the mirror.
That day has long since passed. Now, when I look in the mirror, I often wonder where that old woman came from. She used to be thin, with toned skin and shiny hair. This new woman has a double chin, freckles and wrinkles, grey hairs that multiply more each day, eyebrows that refuse to lie down, and even traces of a mustache if she hasn’t plucked it recently. When did I get so old? When did I turn into my grandmother?
Over the years, we watched as our parents aged. It was almost like they were fading away before our eyes. My husband’s mother lived with us for a short while. During that time, she needed a lot of assistance in taking care of herself. She wore adult diapers and had to be cleaned and changed.
One of my husband’s favorite stories is the time when I had to help his mom into the shower. Our shower had a step up to get into it and his mom couldn’t do it on her own. It was difficult for her and the only way we could even get her to take a shower was to tell her she was going to see the chiropractor. She thought he was handsome and he smelled good.
On this particular day, my husband had asked if I could help get his mom showered and ready before I left for work. I was already dressed and ready to head out, but I agreed to help.
As we approached the step to the shower, his mom realized that there wasn’t anything for her to hold onto to pull herself upward. She looked at her walker, looked at me, and looked up at the shower. “Perhaps if you get into the shower and put all your weight on my walker, I can use it to pull myself up,” She said.
Not knowing what else to do, I got into the shower. Fully clothed. His mother, buck naked, proceeded to grab the rail of the walker and heave herself into the shower. Mind you, she was not a little woman…and there we were. Me, trapped in the corner of our little shower, and her, blocking my exit. It was then that we started the process of turning…one slow step at a time…until I was able to slip out the door. With each step my mind cried out, “He owes me big time!”
With each parent, we faced different situations, but each one was difficult in its own way. I remember thinking that I hoped my children would never have to deal with any of that with me. Our family often jokes about who will take care of us when that time comes. Our oldest grandson told us that he would take care of his papa, and that his wife would take care of me. I still chuckle at the thought of what his marriage proposal will sound like.
My husband has worked at several nursing homes and we have seen a lot of stuff. There was the lady that continually took off all her clothes and wheeled herself around the nursing home, those that couldn’t remember who anyone was, those that thought others were scheming against them, and those that no one ever came to visit. But, I think one of the worst situations was those that felt their usefulness in life had passed.
I can’t count the times I’ve heard older people in church use the phrase, “I’ve done my time. I’m retired. Let the young people do it.”
As each day passes and each step brings me a little bit closer in the aging process, I am so blessed to know that we have a hope and a future in Jesus Christ. His call on our life doesn’t end when we retire.
We once visited a church where the elderly were so on fire for God. They were engaged in worship, excited about Jesus and participating in ministry. They weren’t sitting back waiting patiently for life to pass so they could “go home and be with the Lord.” It was so awesome.
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Isaiah 46:4 says, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Job 5:26 “You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season.” Joel 2:28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 92:14 “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green…”
No matter what the mirror may reveal, God still has a plan and a purpose for all who seek after Him. As the saying goes, “The best is yet to come!”
