A Wrinkle in Time

The thing I didn't understand about getting mileage on these bones was that it wasn't about not having enough time, it was about not having enough juice. I have been on a veritable Ferris wheel of doctor visits lately, checkups and what-not. They tell me I have a bad tooth that's not gonna make it (and it doesn't even have a cavity in it....I brushed,  honest), an ancient hernia that needs surgery, I'm diabetic and oh yeah, I'm too fat. As if I didn't notice that. Funny thing that you pay these guys to insult you. Then you say thank you on the way out. I kinda didn't think these parts would wear out so quick. I was hoping for a few more decades before they started doing that. 

Maybe I talk about my old folks too much, but they're my heritage and I am bound to remember and honor them. I recall them complaining about their crumblin' joints and rheumatism. I remember Pop (Ken's Grandaddy) saying he didn't know why in the world God didn't take him on out. He died by inches but blessed God until the end. My MawMaw, gripping her back as she sat down, though she never quit mowing her grass or tending her garden til the day she died. But then there was Grandma Betty, my Mama's Chicago Mama...she said she didn't want to grow old, so she kinda didn't. She lived life to the gills and then went out like a rocket in her 60s. (60 is the new 30, don't you know?)

When we get to the end of our days, when all is humbled through illness or infirmity, it may look like despair or retreat. We live in a cracked, sinful world that in the end whispers words like "Useless. Done for. Pitiful. What a shame." We run and don't look back, praying that the ravages of time won't catch up to us. Youth is deified and old age is abhorred. Now that I am on the cusp of those years, looking at that formidable hill in front of me (they always say "over the hill" but I'm seeing that nobody's actually coasting), I believe us middlers-and-over are lucky. We have layers and layers of life experience and perspective. When I stop and ask a few questions of the folks I meet, I am always amazed at what's under the surface. There's all this buzz these days about "authenticity." Etsy is world-famous because the items are supposed to be hand-made. Small batches are all the rage (I've been doing small batches in my kitchen for 37 years, by the way). Makers and Creatives! The young folks want to be relevant and radical for Jesus. Everything that was old is new again. 

Take the time this week to talk to your Grandma, if you still have her. Look around and stop your running to pause and notice the folks that are in your path. Strike up a conversation with an old person. Peel back the layers of time to see what's under the obvious. They might be wrinkled or fat or on the way there, but hey, those are life dents and there's always a great story lurking.