2/18/11 Baby Boomers Alert----It’s not easy being in one’s Medicare application year. So many unknowns loom and the volumes of information alone just add to the confusion. It’s disconcerting when the doctor no longer sees you as agile but notes that you are “spry.” Isn’t that a term for old folks? Hm-m-m. Even more disconcerting is when a doc won’t even see you anymore because you are on Medicare. “At your age” is another doc response when one questions certain ailments.I’m not exactly speeding through life at this juncture, though the years do seem to be flying by. Plus, I seem more likely to tumble over the bumps that keep popping up in my path----like the riser on the HHS stage. In front of the “All Shook Up” cast I went careening to the floor after tripping on it. It’s just my new season.
Actually most “new” seasons in one’s life need to be approached with caution. There are bumps in the road---some are needed so that we don’t fall headlong into disaster.* Speed bumps are there to slow us down with an awareness of what’s ahead. What if we don’t really know what’s ahead? (Many times we don’t, even if we think we do.) Parenthood comes to mind. So many variables. First-time parents can’t even begin to imagine all of the twists and turns and challenges and delights ahead.
The final season, regardless of age, might come speeding in without warning---the death this week of a friend’s 27 yr. old grandson is proof of that. Another has a short final season--- “3 month” prognosis. Others, like Daddy and Mommar begin a memory slide that makes the season especially hard for family, while others their age are traveling, playing bridge or e-mailing, "skype"ing, and downhill skiing.
So what’s the answer to the fear of the “bumps”? How does one make the most of life’s seasons? TRUST---whether the bumps sneak up on you or you’re sailing through life at a “perfect” speed, the answer is found in trusting the Lord in the midst of your own season.
The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 *When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. 25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. (Psalm 37:23-25)
