WISDOM is with the aged
I am 52 years old and thankful for the experience and confidence that comes with age. I think more clearly, trust my intuition, and take time to appreciate the small things in life. My greatest joy is my family. I became a mother just one month before my 21 st birthday and worked through the usual ups and downs of young parenthood. I sometimes struggled, like when paying for childcare, so that I could work to help bring in a little extra (childcare took nearly half of my earnings). And I’m not complain- ing — I’m thankful for that struggle. I came out stronger and with a deeper connection to my faith.
And then, just four short years ago, God blessed me with the first of two beautiful granddaughters. When she arrived in this world, I considered myself young at 48 years old. (That really made me smile!) I was so grate- ful that God had blessed me with grandparenthood, and I embraced it with my entire being. I was elated to be blessed a second time. As days unfold and become years and the years become decades, I’m keenly aware that I’m drawing nearer to what we call “the golden years.” But golly, how our life experiences over time sure do build us and prepare us for the sanctification of God’s divine plan.
I’m convinced there is no college or university that can teach and prepare us for life the same way as “the school of hard knocks.” The natural matur- ing that happens when we make our first rent payment, buy our first home, or lease our first car, accept the job, commit, and sacrifice for our loved ones, protect, and nurture our babies — nothing prepares us better for life than life itself. Sacrificing oneself to prioritize the needs of others is the very decision that pays the greatest rewards. With each year that passes, my state of gratitude increases, and the personal relationship that God invites us all to have with him grows deeper still.
18 • AMAC Magazine
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