Monday, February 9, 2015

I Feel Old

I was drying my hair this morning and noticed I have too many gray hairs. I know it happens to everyone, but I went from having one, to more than I can count. I used to pull them out when I saw them, but now I am afraid I might end up with a bald spot. Lately, I have noticed things happening that I was not expecting to happen so soon.
I look for fiber content in just about everything I eat and bedtime is getting earlier and earlier. I catch myself complaining about today's music and my sister and I use the phrase "remember when" a lot more than I care to admit. It creeps up on you, one minute your young and full of energy and the next you need an afternoon nap! There is never enough time in the day to get everything done, nor is there enough energy. Looking back, I used to go days on two or three hours of sleep. Now I can’t function unless I get at least 6 hours a night. I now understand the full meaning of “youth is wasted on the young.”
I know I am still not that old, but when my mother was my age, I thought she was old! (Sorry Mom) She was a grandmother in her 30’s! Why wouldn't I think she was old? Time used to seem to stand still, now it races forward. As I get older, I am more self conscious. I used to just worry about getting wrinkles, now I worry about hair growing in places it shouldn't, or is a body lift an acceptable reason to cash in my 401K?! We like to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but let’s be honest with ourselves; how we see ourselves is how we assume others see us, even our beholder.
While I am still contemplating my retirement, I pray that exercise and diet will slow things down a bit. Lord knows my vanity, and I can only hope He deals with me compassionately!

Sins of My Past

I am so thankful that God forgives. When I look back at my twenties I cringe. I pray my children make better decisions than I made. I am happy in every aspect of my life today, but I struggled terribly to get here. I will not go into details about my past, except to say that I am glad it is the past. The fact that God's grace and forgiveness is so great helps me move forward. When I remember things or am reminded of the paths that I chose, anxiety sets in. My only source of peace is remembering that I am the one who keeps whipping myself with the memories, because once God forgives he forgets. We may have consequences that result from our actions, but we are still forgiven. I am always amazed at His grace and understanding. I only hope that I learn to be just as forgiving, and show grace as God has shown to me.


1 John 1:9 (King James Version)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.