Growing Older is Fun, as Long as You Do It With the Right People

This is my dear friend, Jo Silvey Our birthdays are just a couple of weeks apart so we celebrated and “caught up” yesterday.
Jo has been our family’s hair stylist for years along with the many other attributes she has that has blessed our family for a very long time. She drove to Tulsa from Frisco to give my Sweetheart his last haircut on this earth. She opened her home to my kids when they moved to Frisco while waiting to move into their new home. She continues to have a full schedule of clients who come to her home for their hair appointments. We have “widowhood” in common and we are living audaciously in this season of our lives.

We talked about our husbands and the trying times during their illnesses — hers was lengthier than mine, but she persevered with relentless determination — caring for him while carrying on her very successful hair salon business.

We talked about this Road of Life being unpredictable despite our most careful planning. Our best-laid plans in life were upended by unexpected changes, which were both challenging and exhilarating. We’ve come to realize that setbacks, losses of loved ones, illnesses or accidents, broken hearts or troubled souls, are not uncommon occurrences in our lives. On the other hand, at another turn in the road, we have found unanticipated blessings and exciting experiences.

Going through life, we’ve both confronted setbacks and losses and that’s when we heard clichés abounding from others. We’re advised to “Ride the waves, get on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride, and roll with the punches,” etc. And though we’ve complied with all that advice, we are still sensitive and emotional beings, not robots. We’ve shed tears and wondered if we could make it to the end. And, based on the faith and determination that she and I both have — no doubt we’ll not only make it to the end, but we’ll be riding that wave in and yelling “What a ride!”

We know what it is to gather our thoughts, remind ourselves how strong we are and we do overcome. We’ve both come to appreciate so much good in our lives. She recently took her granddaughter for a graduation trip to Colorado. I just returned from a trip to Austin to see and make momentous times with my grandchildren and returned to make even more memories with these Frisco grandchildren.

We talked “girl talk” — what we’re doing to maintain and sustain good health and fitness habits. That’s typical for women of our age. But, most of all we talked about the blessings of God and the “fun” we have celebrated, along with the joy of having the Lord as our companion as we travel on down the Road of Life. He makes the journey fun and He fills our days with sunshine, even on cloudy days.

I’m happy to report that Jo and I both feel that with each passing year, the ordinary feels more extraordinary, simple kindnesses matter more, time with family and cherished loved ones becomes increasingly precious, and life’s small enrichments bring greater contentment to our hearts than any material riches ever could. Now that’s what I call FUN!

Psalm 91:16 “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”