Would it not be wiser to celebrate every year gained, every ounce of wisdom and each hard lesson learned? I am encouraged by these heros who proved that you don't have to be young to win:
At age 59, Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe;
Agatha Christie wrote The Mousetrap (the longest running play in history) at age 64;
Ronald Reagan was 69 when he became president;
At age 76, Grandma Moses began to paint;
Michaelangelo, at age 88, crafted the Rondandini Pieta, a sculpture of an old man holding Christ, what some believe to be his most compelling sculpture;
Leopoli Stokowski signed a six-year recording contract at age 94, and
Ichijirou was 100 when he climbed Mt. Fuji.
I will be 58 next Wednesday, August 14. I am eager to see what God has in store for me in the next four or five decades.
What about you? Don't let society tell you you're washed up after your 30th, 40th, or 70th birthday. Keep dreaming, planning, seeking God's will, and celebrate your age!
Now you make me really want to see that sculpture :) Amen, sister. We walk a hard line in this business between having to look and sound "fresh" to an audience and being real about who we are. Embrace our experience! I find that younger people these days are not so opposed to that as perhaps in the past. They recognize we're all working together. Of course, we are both still younger, Jeannette!
ReplyDeleteJill: You are right; we compete with much younger writers, but it's also true that people take age in stride nowadays. I remember thinking how OLD my fiftyish grandparents were! HA!
DeleteLove this! I have entered the 50's, and I am determined it will be the best decade yet of my life. Happy early birthday to you!
ReplyDeleteI believe it will be your best decade, Shelly!
DeleteHey, my birthday is one week after yours, and this year I'll be celebrating in Germany!! So looking forward to my time in Europe...will hopefully be able to blog my journey, depending on internet excess and time, of course.
ReplyDeleteAmen, very true.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise!
DeleteTake it from an "older woman", age IS to be celebrated :)
ReplyDeleteRebecca: You are one of the most active women I know! I admire you for that.
DeletePeople tend to look at the aging process from the perspective of where they are in the process. When I turned 50, everyone had their idea of what it was about. Some even joked about the gag gifts they gave me. Some of my family teased me unmercifully. Now, none of those things matter because most of my friends have reached the same plateau of life, that of being grateful we have reached the age we are and are still active in this thing called life.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize there were two Pietas. The one I am familiar with is the one where Mary hold Jesus just after they took Him down from the cross. I like the one you told us about.
DeleteThat's true, Quiet--we judge things from where we are, not usually reality!
DeleteHappy Birthday, Jen! Keep an eye on your mailbox. :)
ReplyDeleteHowever many years the Lord gives me, I want to live them for Him. Hearing "well done thou good and faithful servant" is preferable to "How come you didn't..."
Happy Birthday, Jen! Loved your inspirational examples. ;)
ReplyDelete