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"Growing Old Ain't For Sissies!" My mom and her friends have been saying this for years. Now my friends and I are chiming in as well. The older we get, the more of our friends we are praying for due to a wide variety of health issues. That doesn't mean ALL the people we are praying for are necessarily elderly. Part of it is due to knowing more people who know more people. As a result, we often get prayer request for friends of friends, including their children and grandchildren. I am currently praying for three of my senior mom's friends who are quite ill, the children of two of my daughter's friends, each of whom have been in and out of the hospital repeatedly due to major health issues, and that doesn't even count my immediate and extended family members I'm praying for. Through it all, we are reminded of how fragile life can be at any age, and how wonderful God's promises are to all of us.
One friend of my mom's recently shared the difficult news that her cancer is progressing in spite of the treatment she is receiving. She was quite discouraged. One of the ways I love to encourage others is to share special books with them. We decided to send her the two devotional books by Randy Alcorn that I love, 50 Days of Heaven and 90 Days of God's Goodness. She called me a couple of days later to say thank you – a LOT. She really loved them and appreciated them. "They are just the right length to read as I go to bed and so encouraging." What a sweet blessing to hear her say that.
She went on to talk to my mom and thank her – and I could tell that hearing her friend sound a bit happier was a spirit lifter for her as well. Later that day, I realized that I had read both those books, but my senior mom hadn't yet done so. So I scooped them up and took them to her and encouraged her to read them as well, so she and her friend could talk about them together. I'm hoping that will give them something positive to talk about in the midst of all the frustrating information they are dealing with. It's not easy growing old personally, and it's also hard watching beloved friends getting older, dealing with pain and suffering, and wanting to help them, even when we live so far away. It does help a bit though when we can encourage each other – up close and personal, or long distance – via phone calls, mail, and sometimes even Amazon. 🙂
How about you and your Sandwich Generation family? Do you have several loved ones you are praying for? Do you have special ways of encouraging each other? We'd love to hear.
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Lots of prayers have been going up lately. Seems there is no good news anymore. That is why is is so important to live everyday as it is the last. Tomorrow may never come.
My darling, life-long best friend is battling cancer and just this week learned her husband has cancer, too. Such a heartbreaking situation. They have a daughter and son in law that just moved into the house with them to care for them. We spend a lot of time, praying for this family.
Life DOES get harder as we age and watch our dear friends struggle with health problems. Mr. Sweet and I are blessed with fair health, for such an olden couple, and we thank GOD every day for it.
Oh BJ, I’m so sorry! Praying for them and for you! And what a blessing to have family willing to move in and care for them like that! My parents did that for my grandparents as well. It not only blesses the parents, it sets a wonderful example for the next generation. Praising God with you for good health!!! Have a blessed week full of His peace that passes all understanding!
Isn’t that the TRUTH, LV! I get my news via three great news apps, and spend a lot of time praying as I read all that is going on. But I take great comfort in KNOWING that no matter what seems to be happening, God is STILL in CONTROL and that this world is just a shadow of the joy to come. Have a blessed and beautiful week! 🙂
It is so true that the older we get the more people we have in our lives to pray for. Our parents friends, our friends, our children and their friends and then our grandchildren. The DMV just revoked my dad’s driver’s license this week. That’s the hardest blow in the gradual loss of freedom. One way of coping with the hard stuff is to focus on something positive for each bit of bad news. This past week my dad lost his driving privileges but our grandson said “Grandpa” for the first time! It’s one of those “door closed/open window” moments the Lord gives us!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Robin
Hi Robin. I well remember going through that process with my dad. He did not lose his license which meant I had to eventually step in and ask him not to drive any more. We did have a couple of tough days over that, and it did mean my caregiving was required more often for driving them places. But it also meant less stress for me that he would have or cause an accident. And it meant we all spent more time together for what would turn out to be his last year and a half. A precious time, indeed! As you so wisely put it, the door closed and a window opened. Thank you for the sweet words of encouragement for us all!