The Older I Get – the more Thankful I Become
These photos say it all. The first one: 2010 – 6 days after my sweetheart was promoted to heaven. We flew to Cabo San Lucas for Thanksgiving. (Papa was supposed to have been with us – but God had such a better plan for him.) Is this a photo of a grieving widow and sad grandchildren? No, it isn’t. This is a happy and blessed widow and grands who knew we didn’t say “Good-Bye” to Papa. We said “See ya’ later!”
Yesterday, my grands cooperated with Nana to re-enact that special time. Happy Nana with big kids now. What does that picture really represent? It represents someone who is self-assured and confident to live life with no regrets. These grands don’t know a sad, withdrawn, and unhappy widow. How disappointing it would have been for them to not witness everything that their Papa and I taught them for so many years. John 10:10 says: “Jesus came to give us abundant life and even have it more abundantly.” How could I repay Jesus with living a mournful and depressed life?
Yes, this photo signifies ten years older and I’m so thankful to say: “ten years wiser”. When I look around at what God, Ron and I created and all we experienced together and collected in our lives, I can assure you I can count more gratitude than complaints; more happy days than unhappy; more blessings than cursings; more victories than defeats; more joys than despair. No sad songs here. I don’t even sing Elvis Presley’s “It’ll Be a Blue, Blue Christmas Without You!” Blue? How about bright yellow sunshine with “Happy Days are Here Again”!
My friend recently shared that her friend’s husband passed away recently. Though she has been a Christian all her life and has witnessed the love of Jesus and even spoken of His goodness and faithfulness to her and her family, she refuses to accept joy instead of mourning. Oh, I get it. Each one copes in different ways in the passing of a loved one. I also realize there is a time for mourning and a time for dancing. From what I know – we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death with running shoes on the fast track like those moving sidewalks at the airport. Or, a slow, rocky uphill climb.
I’m thankful I chose the fast track. I’m forever grateful that my life is filled with the “joy of the Lord as my strength”, the peace of God that passes all understanding, the grace of God that is sufficient for me, and the hope of God that assures me that this life is just temporary and my husband, my father, my mother, my grandparents, many friends and loved ones are in my future.
I’ve learned the best medicine for sadness is to dole out cheer, turn inward thoughts to outward joy, turn garments of heaviness to garments of praise and thanksgiving! God gives us many resources for spending our days in power rather than self-pity. The best gift we can give back to God is appreciating the abundant life He has given us that is full of joy and strength for mind, body, and soul. “Abundant life” is complete;y opposite of lack, emptiness, and dissatisfaction.
My expectancy is that in ten years I’ll have this photo taken again and it will include some great grandchildren in the mix. In the light of eternity, ten years will fly by – and I’ll be ten years closer to ever-after! And ever-after is a long, long time!