Embrace the gifts of Aging

The following two paragraphs were shared with me by my friend in Italy, her name is Sil.

"It is normal to associate aging with a process of reduction and loss: we all have examples of people who, having become elderly, have experienced a reduction in hearing, mobility, vision and so on. What we don't usually see are the qualities that these same people have acquired, thanks to the good fortune of having succeeded in aging. We often forget: getting old is a blessing that not everyone has been offered. Of course, leaving this world when you're young may make you immortal, if you're a star in show business, but you certainly haven't experienced all that life has to offer.

The wealth of knowledge that only a long stay on this planet can offer us is an impossible commodity to buy, but it is certainly an exclusive gift that enriches the soul of those who have reached the white hair and the smile of the age of patience."

I so appreciate Sil's words of wisdom above. My darling sister, Penny, photo above, left this human experience to go explore whats beyond, on April 8th, 2022. We had her celebration of life ten days later. While we all grieved her passing, we truly honored who she was for each of us in her life and time here with us. She lived 85 years and contributed much to the world we know. I wrote her obituary and focused more on who she was than what she did. I may post the obit later. The most beautiful part of that process is that I wrote it while she was still living and she was able to read it, make edits, reflect on it and celebrate her life along with us. Many people commented that they felt like they knew her from what I wrote.

Then, in the same week, we spread the ashes of my precious friend Koko who lived to be nearly 103. Again, the ceremony and the honoring celebration that followed focused on who she was on Earth. Her presence was an amazing contribution. What she did only showed who she was. She also reviewed and gave her blessing on the obituary I had written several years before she departed. It was such a precious process, both of these wonderful women showed me how to die. I'm no longer afraid to die. AND more importantly I am eager to live, radiating love everywhere I go, honoring the privilege I have to grow old.

In the next month, I plan to do a million 'things'; my list is lengthy. However, I am committed to accomplishing two critically important tasks - and with ease, I must say. I will begin to write my brother's obituary so we can all celebrate who he has been for the past 81 years and so he can enjoy what we have to say about him for many more years while he's still here. AND I will update my own obit so I can reflect on who I have been and what I am up to next. I'll write the next chapter then step into who I have been called to be going forward.

Thanks, Sil for what you wrote. I am inspired to show the world the qualities that I have acquired over the years. After all, what good is having something it you can't share it?