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Starting Point On course we're aging, more like fine wine than rotten grapes; not that we claim exclusive rights to aging just because we're over 60. It really doesn't matter how old we are, if we're breathing, we're aging. Don't expect anyone under twenty- one to own up to it, but that's okay. We know what the have yet to discover. They may look younger, but no one grows younger. The aging process leaves none behind. So, here we are, well along in years with few clues as to what lies ahead. The future hugs our horizon, but we only see a partial landscape. What we see we like, the future looks bright for our generation. With improved health care and alternate life-style choices, many older adults live with the same joie de vivre as younger adults. Today, there's no need to settle for first base, millions of older Americans are making home runs long after youthfulness strikes out. To family and friends who demonstrate in many wonderful, creative ways that life remains a work in progress, I urge you to stay in the game until the last inning. Be God's poster man or woman for your generation. Even to your old age, He will not fail you. That's His promise to you. CHAPTER TWO It's Always Too Soon TO Quit If you think sixty is the new forty, then consider Noah. He celebrated the birth of his first child when he turned five-hundred years old. That's dead and long gone by today's standards. We can't even fathom that in this culture. Since we know he lived to be nine-hundred and fifty years old, it puts the arrival of his newborn at his middle-age milestone. Two more sons would follow. Biblical details about Noah's life are rather sparse; nothing but the bare facts is spelled out. However, we can fill in the blanks where biblical facts merely imply. The man was no spring chicken when God commissioned him to launch a one hundred and twenty year long building project. Chosen as the only one of his kind in the neighborhood (Genesis 6:9), people might have seen him as "Mr. Goody Two Shoes," but God called him "righteous." While his neighbors sneered, jeered and pointed fingers, Noah kept hammering away day after day until he finished the job. No one could ever accuse him of lacking courage, tenacity and an independent spirit. CHAPTER FOUR Give Change A Chance Newlyweds usually start out peering into the proverbial crystal ball. With clear-cut optimism, they see the future as one big success story - a family, a dog, first house, brand new car, successful career, financial independence, growing old together, and a well-planned retirement life. Eventually, they encounter unexpected bumps in the road that force a more realistic view of the future. Years go by, and despite life's rude awakenings, they finally reach the end of the trail with retirement in sight. Like most senior age couples, Will and Rhoda had finally reached that milestone, and they were like children waiting for a long car ride to end. Retirement couldn't come soon enough. With kids all grown up, house sold, retirement funds in place, they were ready for long, leisurely days at the beach, fishing, boating, all the perks retirement offers. Sadly, Will died of lung cancer, a few months before retirement. Like many grief-stricken, lonely widows, Rhoda found herself wondering about her future. We find a similar Old Testament scenario in the story of Naomi whose whose dreams and hopes fell apart after her husband, Elimilech, died. CHAPTER EIGHT Until The Last Petal Falls Yes, I'm the first to admit it, after awhile we slow down, but we don't have to shut down. Despite annoying health issues, we can still keep step with the longevity renaissance that's taking place today. Even if we're wheelchair bound or grappling with a chronic disease, we qualify as a member of the savvy seniors' survival club who refuses to wither on the vine in the autumn and winter months of life. There's still more to life than daily medical schedules and doctor's appointments. I do not want to make light of the role debilitating illness and pain, coupled with confinement plays on our outlook on life. However, note this quote from the late actor, Paul Newman: "If you have a pulse, you have a purpose."