To everyone about the age of 70 or above, a moment for us. I appreciate the word elder, but I’m not fond of its adjective, elderly, or the term old age so often used to suggest impairment or irrelevance. Middle age, on the other hand, conveys years of full-bodied fervor and keenness embracing both present and future. Peggy Lee’s song “It’s a Good Day” expresses this well, “You know you gotta get going /If you're gonna make a showing /And you got the right of way.” Middle age, it seems to me, should go all the way through one’s 79th year. It’s a great compliment to say of a senior, She’s young at heart. This is the gold ring for those who relish each day God gives them. Young at heart isn’t just luck-of-the-draw, however. Acquiring a confident hope-filled ‘life outlook’ is very much a conscious vocation. Also, a person’s life and self-confidence need “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19) just like anything else. This is why we share our lives with others, seek out enjoyable activities, pray constantly and celebrate the Mass at every opportunity. My parents in their 80's faced a big medical decision. Battleship Bob’s doctor said, You have a large aneurism below your heart. They could go to a surgeon, he said, or they could wait for it to rupture. The surgeon, himself middle-aged, clearly advocated the rupture option, painting grim surgical prospects of suffering and demise. Mother interrupted the doctor's monolog, saying, Doctor, perhaps you’re not aware of this . . . my husband and I are Christian. He was mystified as to what my mother meant. He was the only doctor they ever vetoed. What the Queen of the West meant was, Our lives and our future together are just as meaningful and purposeful and hope-filled today as on the day we were married. They found another surgeon. Dad fully recovered from his operation and my parents happily returned to their daily lives. One day mother said, My finest decade of life was my 50's. Mom stretched out her fifth decade until the very end of her long life. I still see her carefully navigating her Cadillac out of a crowded parking lot and then flooring it on the boulevard.
To everyone about the age of 70 or above, a moment for us. I appreciate the word elder, but I’m not fond of its adjective, elderly, or the term old age so often used to suggest impairment or irrelevance. Middle age, on the other hand, conveys years of full-bodied fervor and keenness embracing both present and future. Peggy Lee’s song “It’s a Good Day” expresses this well, “You know you gotta get going /If you're gonna make a showing /And you got the right of way.” Middle age, it seems to me, should go all the way through one’s 79th year.