By Tom Tripp
Aging can be challenging, but humor and faith make aging more manageable.
Humor: A three-year-old boy was fascinated while watching his grandfather take out his false teeth, brush them and put them back into his mouth. The boy asked his grandfather to do it again. Amazed at what his grandfather was doing, the boy demanded, “Now take off your nose!”
A little girl was sitting in her grandfather’s lap as he read her a story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek, then her own cheek. Finally, she spoke, “Granddaddy, did God make you?”
“Yes, Sweetheart,” he answered, “God made me a long time ago.”
“Oh,” she said, then, “Granddaddy, did God make me too?”
“Yes, indeed, Honey,” he assured her. “God made you just a little while ago.”
“Oh,” she said.
Feeling their respective faces again, she said, “God’s getting better at it now, isn’t he?”
An elderly man had been troubled with hearing problems for years. His family tried again and again to convince him to get a hearing aid. Finally, he went to the doctor and was fitted with an excellent pair of hearing aids. A month later he went back to the doctor.
The doctor said, with a smile, “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.”
The old man replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to their conversation. I’ve changed my will three times.”
Reportedly, Agatha Christie stated, “An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.”
Faith: According to the National & International Religious Report of November 15, 1993, “Strong religious beliefs make growing old easier, say researchers at Southern California University of Health Sciences… In a study of senior citizens…more than 90 percent said prayer was important and God was a source of strength and support in hard times; 84 percent said their relationship with God helped prevent loneliness.”
On January 17, 2017, Elder Care Alliance reported, “Practicing a religion can help slow cognitive decline and reduce or stabilize cognitive disorders, according to International Psychogeriatrics. The use of spirituality in daily life enables those with dementia to preserve relationships, maintain hope and find meaning…Another benefit of spirituality is the strong sense of community that is at the heart of most faith groups. People form and strengthen relationships through their faith, whether it’s by attending group services or just praying with a friend. These social bonds can be particularly comforting during difficult times. Many seniors must cope with the loss of a spouse or loved one. Others might be grappling with their own illness or mortality. Faith can provide a support system for handling these tough issues.
Though our body grows older, with more aches and pains and limitations, our soul does not.
Meister Eckhart remarked, “My soul is as young as it was when it was created. Yes, and much younger! I tell you, it would not surprise me if it were younger tomorrow than it is today.”
As we age, a good verse to hold onto is Isaiah 46:3-4: “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, even when you turn gray, I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”
