How Will We Be At 93?

Photo Credit:  pedrojperez from morgueFile.com

I just had to share this story from Mikey’s Funnies:

A married couple in their early 60's was celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant.  Suddenly, a tiny fairy appeared on their table.  She said, "For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish."

The wife answered, "Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband."  The fairy waved her magic wand and - POOF! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands.

The husband thought for a moment: "Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again.  I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me."

The wife and the fairy were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish.  So the fairy waved her magic wand and - POOF! - the husband became 93 years old.

Oooopsie!  But, what a wonderful reminder of how we should be a little more aware of what we wish for…what we hope for…what we pray for.  Sometimes our selfishness gets the very best of us.  Sometimes our “me-thinking” greatly surpasses our “we-thinking.”  We falter and our selfish desires back-fire.

There is one thing that helps to get me back on track when I start down that road.  That one thing is gratefulness…for what I already have.  When I stop to count the abundant blessings in my life, it sure does curb my “all-about-ME-ME-ME-prayers.”

How about this not-so-spring-like-weather we are having on, um, Spring Break?  We could pout, moan, and groan and let it royally bum us out or we can be thankful for the fact that we will have some amazing dewberries and breath-taking wild flowers soon.  Yep.  My son reminded me of that.  An attitude of gratitude.  It makes a difference.  As my husband kayaks out to the barn, I just close my eyes and envision the roadside wildflowers in a rainbow array of colors.

We have the power to make the decision.  Will we be a person of gratitude, regardless of what comes our way?  We get to choose the answer to that question and that particular answer affects everything.

Here is another story about a completely different 93-year-old fella than the man in the paragraphs above.  This charming tale is also from Mikey’s Funnies:

A 93-year-old, petite, well-poised, and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, moved to a nursing home today.  With his hair fashionably combed and face shaved perfectly, you wouldn’t guess that he was legally blind.  His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.  As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't even seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.  "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.  Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged.  It's how I arrange my mind.  I already decided to love it.  It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.  I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.  Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away…just for this time in my life.”

How will WE be at 93?  Here’s to being the thankful, grateful kind at 93…or 73…or 53….or 33…or…however old you are.

Here’s a prayer of gratitude to help us on our way:

Dear Father,

I am so grateful for everything that you have given me.

Thank you so much for the loved ones in my life,

For the many ways in which I am cared for and supported.
Thank you for the countless ways I can serve and give to others.

Thank you for the rich tapestry of colors in creation,
For the beauty which is all around me,
For the skies and the ever-changing cloud formations,
For the breath-taking sunsets and early morning mists.

My heart is so grateful and brimming with thanks.
I could write a thousand books about your great goodness,
And still have many stories to tell.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I thank you with everything I am.
All my being cries, “Thank you Lord!”  Amen.

(Author Anonymous)

Have a wonderful week, Sunshines!