100th Birdthday: Places Life in Perspective!
Videotaped a 100th birthday party, and it was very nice. I was very cognizant of the birthday girl's state of mind...she seemed very much at peace, because she loves God, and trusts His will. If he takes her today, that'll be OK with her; she's lived a good, long, full life, full of love and family. If he gives her more time, that's OK too.
While watching her slideshow of her full life and legacy, couldn't help flashing back to my brother in the final days, when he was 40 going on 100 going on eternity, and the tears hit me like a ton of bricks. He's on the other side now, and he'll never get to experience grandatherhood and some other earthly pleasures, to enjoy that wisdom while he's still in his earthly body, but he's got the love of God now, so that should be more than sufficient to make up for any more earthly time. He lived a lot in his 40 years. His life was one of excess, of scattered spirit, of abusing himself with hard work, sleep deprivation, promiscuous sex and crappy diet, and this leads me to believe that a life lived in excess, in greed for more, ultimately leads to a quick, young death. Watching a loved one die like that makes me face "old age" issues much sooner than I'd expected, and I don't know what conclusion to draw from it, except that I need to be satisfied with what I've got, not get greedy for more.
While watching her slideshow of her full life and legacy, couldn't help flashing back to my brother in the final days, when he was 40 going on 100 going on eternity, and the tears hit me like a ton of bricks. He's on the other side now, and he'll never get to experience grandatherhood and some other earthly pleasures, to enjoy that wisdom while he's still in his earthly body, but he's got the love of God now, so that should be more than sufficient to make up for any more earthly time. He lived a lot in his 40 years. His life was one of excess, of scattered spirit, of abusing himself with hard work, sleep deprivation, promiscuous sex and crappy diet, and this leads me to believe that a life lived in excess, in greed for more, ultimately leads to a quick, young death. Watching a loved one die like that makes me face "old age" issues much sooner than I'd expected, and I don't know what conclusion to draw from it, except that I need to be satisfied with what I've got, not get greedy for more.
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