April 21, 2021
It’s Not for Sissies: A Prayer
O Lord, it’s not for sissies,
at least
that’s what people say, that
getting older
is not for sissies,
because of
all that comes,
all that happens,
all that age brings;
aches and pains
aching and paining
where you never knew
you could have
aches and pains;
social calendars no longer social calendars
unless medical appointments
social engagements
(So which doctor is it today?);
don’t bounce back
like once did;
bouncing on the floor
like once never did,
being an upright person taking on new meaning;
can’t do what
once did,
like
once did,
like trimming toenails like
once did;
FRUSTRATION
the word of the day nearly
EVERY DAY;
some days
feeling too young to be old,
other days
feeling too old to remember ever being young,
many days
reminders
that not young:
ignored,
invisible,
irrelevant,
wisdom not welcome, giving
advise not advised
(Shall we add ANGER to the mix?);
starting the day
with coffee and
the obituaries,
friends dying,
too many, too often
(growing older a lesson in loss, letting go, loneliness),
SADNESS
often the emotion of the day;
or maybe
FEAR
the main emotion:
Is it ________ ?
Will I get ________ ?
Will I end up in a ________ ?
Will ________ go first or will ________ ?
How many years ________ ?
ANXIETY
filling in the blanks;
or maybe not,
maybe just
being realistic,
realistic
about how we want to spend whatever time we have
(left);
and speaking of being
realistic,
mirror, mirror, on the wall,
who’s the …
oh, forget it;
and speaking of forgetting…
(I can’t remember what I was going to say);
and speaking of remembering
I almost forget
the war of independence,
not 1776,
but the war to
stay independent,
a war that cannot be won;
and time,
it goes
so fast,
fifty years
of marriage, a career, a friendship,
not feeling like
fifty years,
feeling like just
yesterday;
not for sissies;
for sure.
And yet, O Lord, that’s not the whole story,
because
JOY
is part of the story too, the
joy
of what was, the
joy
of what still is, the
joy
of what is yet to be;
and
HOPE
part of the story,
the hope
that comes from
what you have done,
what you are doing now,
what you will do tomorrow and beyond;
and so,
THANKFULNESS
is part of the story,
at least
it should be.
O Lord, grant us the COURAGE to manage
all that getting older
brings;
teach us how to
laugh at ourselves,
live with ourselves, and
laugh at ourselves some more;
and help us
to see
all that we can
still do,
still offer,
still enjoy;
to see
that we can
still serve you,
still serve others,
still serve a higher purpose;
to see
that we can
still
be of use.
And Lord, once again we pray for all those
devastated
by the coronavirus, or
devastated
by violence.
May all people
do those things that need to be done to
undo what needs to be undone
if ever we are to get beyond the
virus and the violence
and feel safe,
and children and shoppers and workers,
and police and protesters alike,
return safely home
every day.
O Lord, getting older is not for sissies, that’s for sure.
May we have
FAITH
enough
to live with grace,
to bear our griefs with grace,
to die with grace,
and to
TRUST
that
all shall be well.
Amen.