And Then It Is Winter

And Then It Is Winter                                                  December 3, 2023

I wonder where all the years went!  I know that I lived them all.  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 have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.  But here it is, 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 through the years seeing older people and thinking that they 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 gray.  They move slower and I see in them an older person.  Some are in better shape and some are in worse shape than am I, but I see the great change.  They no longer are like the ones I remember who were young and vibrant – but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we would be.  Each day now I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!  And, taking a nap is not a treat anymore, it is mandatory because if I don’t on my own freewill, I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do the things that I wish I had done but never did.  But, at least I know that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last, that when it’s over on this earth, it’s over.  A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets.  There are things I wish I hadn’t done and things I should have done.  But there are many things I am happy to have done.  It’s all in a lifetime.

If you are not yet in your winter, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think.  So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!  Don’t put things off too long!  Life goes by so quickly.  Do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not.  You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of life.  Live for today and say all the things that you want your friends and loved ones to remember.  And hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past (and that they will forgive you for the things you should have done but didn’t).

Life is a gift to you.  The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. 

Make it a fantastic one.                                                  -Author Unknown