Our Family - Growing Older

 Growing Older by Cheryl Merrick

Now that we have both passed the 70 year point, we must admit that we are really getting older and that there is more time behind than ahead of us. How does that make us feel? Are we filled with fear and dread? 

Actually, we are really enjoying this time in our lives. I love having the time to write, and Garrett enjoys doing occasional commercial building inspections. We are both busily working on our projects. I am involved in recording family history, and Garrett on converting our yard into the patio of our dreams. 

It feels good to at last have the time to go for walks each day, and to help other people. We love spending time with our daughter, son-in-law, and their family. I like to send encouraging notes to family and friends, while Garrett enjoys helping neighbors fix their homes. We both feel a sense of accomplishment in doing research and temple work, so that our ancestors can have the opportunity to enjoy the Gospel, and we can be united forever. 

There is so much to do and learn. There are so many people to help that sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed because there is so much yet that I want to do. I feel a strong desire to finally finish some of my projects such as writing our own family history and labeling the family photos. 

Now we can see that all our experiences, even and especially the difficult ones, really have been opportunities for our growth. We are grateful for all that we have learned as we have lived on the earth, but there is so much more we want to learn. It makes our lives very worthwhile when we are able to share something we have experienced and it helps others.

We know that the Lord always has and will continue to give us the strength to deal with whatever happens in our lives. This is a great comfort to us. Lately though, there does seem to be a lot more happening to our bodies. Life certainly isn’t boring!  At moments it can be a little scary, especially realizing either one of us could go at any time. 

Does this mean that we are afraid of dying? I know it sounds strange, but I really am looking forward to our next phase of life after we are done on this earth. There will be so much to learn and so many people to visit, and great work to do. I will finally have wonderful health. It is going to be fantastic! I look forward to being married to Garrett and having our family forever. I just would like to spend our remaining years here together instead of alone for a few years. Also, I would like to see our grandchildren grow up.

One thing that I especially like about this time is the perspective we now have. Instead of fretting over unimportant things, we enjoy the small things, like sleeping well, being able to walk, or spending time with family. We are grateful for all the help we have had in our lives, for all the people who have helped us, and for living at a time when we have the medical care and technical assistance to enable us to live more active lives. 

Aging is a time to savor precious memories, reflect on lessons learned, finish projects, and help others grow. It is a time to walk in the assurance of faith and a time to look forward in hope to a future that will never end.