My dad is 89, or 90. The birth certificate says one thing, some of the family says another. Regardless, he’s about 25 years older than I… Mom was 18 when they married, 19 when I was born, and turned 20 when I was only 3 months old.
Being the oldest means I’ve known them longer than my siblings, but not nearly as long as their own siblings!
I’m thinking about them this morning, who, along with my sister, are at the doctors office for a needle biopsy and possible cancer surgery. Dad has had several of these so it’s nothing new, but, as we age (all of us), if you’re anything close to normal, we begin to think about and remember the past more than we are concerned about the future.
When we are young we look ahead. We we are old we look back. It’s not a backward glance, but an amazing study of how swiftly time has flowed. Click To TweetWhile perusing a cousin’s Facebook post from several years ago, I found a picture of Dad in his Air Force “suit” looking like a young man ready to take on the world. See that smirk? The hint of a smile?
The Smirk still exists! That hinted Smile is just waiting to take full face! Take those glasses off and a photo artist can make the two pictures seem to be as one!
What keeps a look through the years when you face good times, along with the tough times. He grew up picking cotton, driving the school bus, and having tons of experiences I vaguely remember him talking about. He used to joke about having socks that were non-existence below the shoe line, but looked normal stretched up his calf; carrying a syrup bucket as a lunch box and sometimes it had an onion or raw potato; sneaking into a watermelon patch to heist watermelons at night.
I don’t remember him talking about having nothing, because, in a family of 9 kids spread out over 18 years, there’s no such thing as “nothing”. Of course, we take for granted things he didn’t have. A/C. Central Heat. Fancy car. Video games. Inside bathroom. Comfortable living spaces. In fact, I remember his parents into my early teens still drawing water from a well in the backyard! That was just 50 years ago!
We’ve come a long way, baby! (You have to know the reference!)
From mom and dad I get the habit of “pinching pennies” … Just yesterday, I drove an extra 10 miles so I could buy diesel at $2.99 instead of $3.49 just a half mile away. Of course, those 25 gallons bought at a distance was a savings of $13.50 – that’s 13 and a half cups of McDonald’s “buck a cup” coffee!
This morning, my schedule is busy. Contractors showing up, preparing for Wednesday night bible study, and awaiting news on my dad’s biopsy. My mind runs to a favorite story I love to watch when taking a long flight. Maybe you’ve seen it. Fiddler on the Roof. The dad is contemplating his life with his girls and the political world they are facing. He sings a song that I can watch and listen to over and over.
Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze
Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears.
Swiftly flow the days and fly the years…one season following another…laden with happiness and tears. Of course, this is from the Preacher of the Old Testament. You may know it as A Time for Everything [Ecclesiastes 3:1-8]. There is a time and season for everything. Happiness. Tears. Healing. Sowing. Weeping. Laughing. Live. Die. War. Peace. Love. Hate. Tear. Sew.
When you think about it, we are constantly moving from one season and time to another. Nothing stays the same. Even as we watch and wait, there are seasons in the moment.