WINTER OF MY LIFE

This "Ann" said it better for me. I just declare "DITTO"!
(Stolen from one of those circling emails--
but "souped up" and adapted by Leona, of course)

(By Ann Onymous)

You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly
and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young,
just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.
Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,
and I wonder where all the years went.

I know that I lived them all…
I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams…
But, here it is…I'm in the winter of my life 

and it catches me by surprise…How did I get here so fast?
Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well…
seeing older people through the years and thinking that those
"older people" were years away from me and that "winter" was so far off

that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is…
My friends are retired and getting grey.
They move slower and I see them as older persons now
Some in better and some worse shape than me
but I see the great change in them…and in myself!
They are not like I remember them when we were all young and vibrant.
Like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those
"older folks" that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just taking a shower is a real target for the day!
And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory!
‘Cause if I don’t do so with my own free will… I just fall asleep where I sit!

I enter into this new season of my life unprepared
for all the aches and pains and loss of strength and ability
to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did.

It could be kind of scary...

but I go forth leaning on Jesus Christ, the Lord of my life!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done,
things I should have done. But indeed,
there are many things I’m happy to have done.

It’s all in a lifetime…!

So, if you’re not in your winter yet…
let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think.
Whatever we would like to accomplish in our lives, let's do it quickly!

Let's not put things off too long!
Life goes by so fast. Let's do what we can today.

You can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life.

So live for today and say all the things you want your loved ones to remember

and hope they appreciate and love you in return

for your love of them and your investment in their lives!

Life, as it has been and as it is now, is God's love gift to me.

The way I live my life is my gift to those who come after.
I want to make it a fantastic one!

I want to remember that it is not health or riches that is real treasure

but wisdom from God and living for His pleasure! 

******

Sometimes we need an angel for ourselves

to help us as we struggle through life's journey;
Sometimes we are destined to be God's angel to others.