Give not over thy soul to sorrow and afflict not thyself in thy own counsel. Gladness of heart is the life of man and the joyfulness of man is length of days. Ecclesiastes
Today my husband was blessed with another birthday. He has been blessed so far with 66 of them🤭 Today we were again reminded that his father passed away at the young age of 59. He did not have the opportunity to grow old.
Each year that passes finds us having the same discussion…what he must have felt leaving this world too soon. Now, he had heart problems and finally a stroke, but as I look back I remember sitting in the hospital thinking how quiet and resigned he seemed to be. I was young. I didn’t know how to tell him that I would miss him not being there. Then my husband’s aunt passed away in her 59th year. That felt scary. Heart disease runs in the family said the Dr to my husband and he was also at risk. He was assured that exercise and healthy eating were better for him than Perogies and sour cream. ❤️
The year my husband turned 59 was really stressful, and felt he had dodged a bullet …in fact when he hit his 60th we celebrated with a big party. Each year since has felt like a victory.
But ironically we have also learned that longevity has its downside. Aches and pains we didn’t have at 59, people asking when are we retiring….when we aren’t ready to think that way yet, children that don’t have the same time for us, grandchildren growing and finding their own interests. Life adjustments. Finding where we fit, what we’re fit for.
i took this picture of flowers awhile ago on one of our vacations. In observing it, I am reminded that some flowers have short lifespans and others are perennial….but they all spread a joyful essence to the atmosphere they inhabit. The natural world has an order to be envied if you observe closely. I am mindful that all time in this earthly space is short and seasonal. But it can be oh so beautiful.
So we celebrate another year. We will be glad in the length of our days.🤩
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