By Brenda Black
Age is relative. Through the eyes of a
child, I'm ancient. The perception of a stranger is based on good
guesses. In my mind, I'm 20 years younger than the days I've lived on
this planet. I can't be this old! I have things I want to do and
places I want to go! So, I choose not to define my goals or my energy
or my personality by the number of my years. Instead, I plan to just
L-I-V-E, live.
Since I'm past the half way mark to
100, I have enough history behind me to afford me some great memories
and pretty good lessons upon which to build my theory. Ones that help
me know what real love looks like. It's parents still together and
committed. It's friends I've known and cherished since childhood.
It's a wonderful husband of 30 years and two amazing sons who honor
and adore me, even when I don't deserve their love. It's brothers and
sisters in Christ from across the globe and a God who gave it all.
Yes, to L-I-V-E, is to L-O-V-E. And the longer I live, the longer I
have the opportunity.
Fifty plus means I've had time to
accumulate a host of interests. Faith, writing, horses, cattle,
music, gardening, ministry, cooking, canning, arts and crafts,
photography, poetry, fishing, and the list goes on and on. With each
passing year, I find something new to explore. I continue to learn. I
get to impart my expertise to others who are as interested in my
interests. The by-product of time well spent is a well-rounded life
full of beauty and opportunity which are only possible because the
clock keeps ticking. To L-I-V-E is to walk out your days like an
investigative reporter, learning and exploring and finding where you
want to invest your time, mind and energy.
V – it's to L-I-V-E victoriously,
vivaciously, vibrantly! In every season, there's a time to live out
loud. As a child, it's all the “firsts” you attempt and conquer.
As a teen, it's the fears and peer pressure you overcome to stay true
to yourself. In college, it's discovering and defining your destiny.
In marriage, it's investing in the heart and soul of another. As a
parent, learning to sacrifice and compromise, while leading and
loving completely. Grandparents get to live childhood all over again
and remember it through the eyes of innocence. And in every season,
laughter and love and time well spent are V-I-T-A-L-L-Y important!
In the E-N-D, though aging is
inevitable, age is eternally irrelevant. So, just L-I-V-E like this
is the best day of your L-I-F-E.
©2015 The Word's Out-Brenda Black
