Monday, November 14, 2022 Will You Still Feed Me?

I’ve recently experienced that important coming of age moment when the old Beatles song applies: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64.” Age is what you make of it, so I’m making the most of this new milestone. There are lots of reasons that one might complain about aging, but why bother? You still have the aches and pains and the inability to remember stuff, but the complaints just increase the burden. There’s an old hymn with the line “Our cross and trials do but press the heavier for our bitterness.” Nope, the way forward is to continue cheerfully on the path of the trusting in the Lord. That same hymn also says, “Who trusts in God’s unchanging love builds on the Rock that naught can move,” and “God never yet forsook at need the soul that trusted Him indeed.” You must remind me of these things when I need to hear them.

As for the day itself, I grew up with the tradition of noting and celebrating birthdays. I haven’t yet reached the age when I want to let the day just pass by in obscurity – a day just like any other day. I love hearing from friends and family and spending time with the same. I had the delightful experience of going to a tea shop in the morning with my two sisters. For those of you whose lives circulate around coffee, this is no doubt a jarring thought, that there are a few places that cater to the tea drinking crowd. On the way home, I stopped to visit a friend who had a card and gift for me – very sweet! When I got home, my thoughtful husband had prepared a treasure hunt for me with clues leading me from one gift to another. I used to love making those kinds of treasure hunts for him and our children and it occurred to him that I might enjoy to be on the other side of that. He was right. The clues were excellent – cleverly written with just enough information to make me ponder them for awhile trying to ferret out the meaning. This was the first one:

I once was useful, even helpful
Full of information, sometimes colorful,
But now I am a liability, a thin reflection of my former self.
And now I lie in the dark, awaiting the final judgment,
Only fit to burn.

I’ll let you think on that and the answer to the location will be at the end of this post. If I forget, just remind me (see the above thing about problems with remembering stuff). There were cards and gifts to open, short conversations with some of our kids, text and Facebook messages from friends and family, a FaceTime call with my mother. What pleasanter way could there be to celebrate a birthday? We topped it off with watching all six hours of the BBC production of “Pride and Prejudice,” a particular favorite for both of us. Instead of a cake, I had decided to make a DIY version of Buster Bars. They turned out pretty well, but if I make them again, there will be modifications.

A good friend of mine sent me a “badge” to wear just for this special day. How fun is that?

Onward and upward.

I’ll probably delete this in the morning after looking in the shredded paper bin for the next clue.