My cool birthday gift and on growing old

Okay, so Tuesday was my birthday. (I won't dare tell you how old I am!) But, at my age, birthdays are really no big deal. I told my husband that dinner and a movie out would be perfect. No cake. no singing. No presents. No big deal. But boy was I glad that my husband didn't listen to me, at least about the presents, because lo and behold, look what he got me. . . a replica of a 17th century pirate cutlass !!! (well, not an exact replica, but a pretty cool replica) I just had to share it with you. Isn't it gorgeous? It has an engraving of a tall ship on the hilt. I'm in heaven. And it's quite a bit heavier than you would expect. When I pull it from its sheath, it makes a metallic chiming sound. Awesome. Does my husband know me or what? He's my new hero. Last year, he got me a 17th century replica of a flintlock pistol which I keep with me on my desk while I write (Ye never know when a half-masted slimy rogue may try an' sneak into me parlor )

Anyway, I know alot of women who really fear growing old. They buy those expensive creams that promise to erase wrinkles and lift and firm your skin, they spend hours in spas, drink wheat grass..etc.. all in an attempt to stay looking young. Our culture is so youth oriented. If you're not young and beautiful, you are not worth anything. That's the message we are bombarded with from all around. I find it very sad. Long ago, the aged were respected and looked to for their wisdom. They were treated as cherished members of society, instead of discarded into nursing homes and ignored. I used to ask God why he made us age. Why couldn't we just stay young until we died, but recently He gave me the answer.

We humans will always cling to our own strenghts, our own beauty, our own success and power rather than cling to God. It's part of our prideful nature. I see it in my own children and in some people who are in their 20's and 30's. They are so strong and beautiful, they feel as though they have the world by the tail. What need do they have of God. Yet year after year, God strips us of our looks and our physical strength, not to punish us, but to bring some of us to our knees.

I'm not afraid of growing old because I know where I'm going. And as each year passes and I get more aches and pains and more wrinkles and sags, I intend to keep praising God for leading me gently to a place where I am more dependent on Him than ever!