Today (August 15, 2023) is my 85th birthday. That being so, I am sharing personal reflections on this milestone day.
I am
truly grateful to still be alive and “sound in mind and body.” Many don’t live this long. Three
of my closest lifetime friends have been gone for years now: Bobby Pinkerton (1937~2008),
Clyde Tilley (1935~2013), and Joe Wolven (1939~2015). I still miss them.
Although
I am happy to say I have no illness of any kind, I am experiencing reduced
activity, and especially markedly reduced travel, because of the decrease in
physical energy/stamina.
At this
point, I am not planning to go with June to attend our beloved grandson David’s
wedding in Georgia the first of next month, and I will also likely not make the
trip to south Missouri later in September for the burial of June’s only
brother, who passed away early this month at the age of 88.
Thankfully,
modern technology makes significant connectedness possible from the comfort of
one’s own home—and for introverts such as I, being home, even home alone, is
often more enjoyable than being in a crowd of people.
I can
honestly say that overall, I have had a wonderful life during these 85 years. Three
years ago, I published a brief book for my children and grandchildren with the
subtitle The Story of My Life from Birth until My 82nd Birthday
(1938~2020). The book’s title is A Wonderful Life.
As I
wrote on the first page, that title “is not an evaluation I have heard from
others. In fact, some may well think my life has not been particularly
wonderful—and that’s all right.” The point is that I believe that I have had a
wonderful life, and I am genuinely grateful for how my life has been graced.
Tomorrow
and in the following weeks, I will continue revising and updating that book
with the goal of publishing a new edition of it, with numbers in the subtitle changed
to 85th and 2023, before the end of the year.
However,
for as long as possible I want to continue focusing on the present and the future
rather than the past. I plan to keep reading, thinking, and writing blog
articles (and perhaps an occasional book review).
I want
my grandchildren, and their children, to know something about my life story,
but I am even more interested in trying to share with them knowledge and,
hopefully, wisdom about the world as it is now and is likely to become.
I deeply
desire to leave a meaningful legacy to my descendants, but not a legacy of material things or of
things past. I hope to leave them a legacy that will encourage them to think
critically, meaningfully, and creatively. I also want to motivate them to think
deeply about the meaning of life.
To that
end, last month I wrote a letter to my great-grandson on his first birthday,
asking his parents to keep it for him to read years from now. I decided then that
for as long as possible I will write a thoughtful letter to each of my family
members on their birthday.
Yesterday
I wrote a letter to my youngest grandson on his 16th birthday. And
today I will finish writing a letter to my oldest son, whose birth on August 15
was the best birthday present I ever received.
Looking
forward, I want to do all I can to help my children/grandchildren, and as many
other people as possible, to think well and to choose wisely, in order that
they, too, will have as wonderful a life as possible—and a life that will make
a positive contribution to peace and justice in the world.
In closing, I am sharing this little poem I have
written for today:
I’m eighty-five and still alive.
The good old days have parted ways,
but days are new and joyful too.
So, I’ll go on ‘til time is gone
with gratitude my attitude
and faith in God until the sod
will cover me. And then I’ll see
a blissful state, my lasting fate.
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This morning I have received many emails with birthday greetings and many with very gracious words that I appreciate very much. But since those emails are personal, and mostly quite complimentary, I have decided to post none of them here on the blogsite.
ReplyDeleteHappy 85th Leroy. Your introductory note sounds like you are doing quite well for an 85 year old. Two mile morning jog? Patricia and I try to have a 20 minute walk every morning. Some mornings that's a little much. Patricia was 86 on May 13. I will be 90 on Nov. 25. We did make the approx. 300 mi. journey out to the Panhandle for a reunion of her families on Aug 5, and celebrated her Uncle John's birthday a few days in advance. He turned 102 on Aug 9. The 70th anniversary of our wedding will be Aug 24, and our daughter is planning a celebration reception for Sept 3. My condolence to June on the loss of her brother. Charles Kiker.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charles, for posting your comments here. Well, my jogging speed is quite slow now, but I want to keep jogging as long as possible for the health benefits I assume I get from it--and I did enjoy my jog this morning with the temperature down to about 60. But I don't feel up to making 300-mile trips as you did this month, so I think you and Patricia are doing quite well for your ages. And congratulations on your upcoming 70th wedding anniversary. As you may remember from a blog post back in May, we celebrated our 66th anniversary this year--and we hope to be able to celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2032. But I don't expect to live as long as your wife's Uncle John.
DeleteYes I remember seeing your post of your 66th. Nor do I expect to live as long as Uncle John. But I'm not surprised that he keeps on going. I had a nice visit with him on Aug 5. I can tell he's slipping a bit. He had to have several tries to get up from a chair. His memory is slipping a bit. But he is still rational. Back several years before he turned 100, I told him i thought his chances of making it to the century mark were better than my chances of being around to see him at a hundred. We both made it!
DeleteEnjoyed your blog. I to feel my life contributed something good to our world. Yours and June’s children seem to carry on good vibes to the world. My Claire’s and grandchildren I believe are on the right path to contribute to a better world . A friend from over the years. May we all be at peace.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I know who you are and appreciate you posting comments here. Thanks for your affirming comments, and I am happy to hear your positive words about your grandchildren even though I don't know them. But yes, we have been friends for not just years, but for many decades now.
DeleteHappy Birthday, Leroy, and Keith. You have indeed led a remarkable life, one of faithfulness and of contribution. I am grateful to be one of the recipients of your extensive contribution to the world around you, first for your foresight in bringing me to Seinan, and then as a student-colleague of your scholarship. Wishing you many more after #85.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lydia! It was good to see you on Zoom yesterday evening, and I appreciate the kind comments you posted here today.
DeleteHappy Birthday, Leroy! and congratulations for living 85 years and remaining healthy in mind, body and spirit.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I am amazed that you still jog 4 times a week at the age of 85! I'm over a decade younger than you, and stopped jogging years ago--although I do ride bicycle 3 or 4 times a week, and in the winter, I cross-country ski 3 or 4 times a week.
What a creative idea, to write letters to family members on their birthday. May God continue to bless you, and thanks so much for continuing to write thoughtful blog posts!
Thanks, Garth, for the birthday wishes. -- Regarding my jogging, as I responded to Charles above, my jogging is quite slow now, but I am grateful to be able to keep doing it. -- Concerning the letters, I am finding that it takes considerable time to write a thoughtful letter of even one page (which is all I plan to write) -- and I need to quit writing here on the blogsite right now and work on finishing the letter I am determined to send to my son Keith today.
DeleteIn spite of what I wrote above, here is part of the email I received this morning from local Thinking Friend Marilyn Peot, who is a bit older than I.
ReplyDelete"Thank you for the sharing...I identify with your 'aging' and know now is the time to live a grateful and simple life.
"We are fortunate that life has blessed us, challenged us and is now giving us new hope and awareness of being loved."
Thanks, Marilyn, for sharing your thoughts, and encouragement, about being 85+ years old. Indeed, your sweet spirit and equanimity does encourage me to try harder to be more like you.
DeleteBountiful birthday blessings from Conn.! I remember my junior year at William Jewell College, I had a prof for World Religions who was on missionary furlough from Japan. Perhaps you knew him. I think that the year was 1976 or so. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that I'm still in close contact with that guy, who is now a Mennonite! I'm grateful that he has turned 85--ageing and sageing. Praise God!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your Michaelesque comments, Michael, and for your kind words. I like the words "ageing and sageing," but the first word may be more applicable than the second. I'm reading an interesting book titled "The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old" (2014, 2016). Hendrik writes, "In contrast to what you'd expect, narrow-mindedness increases and tolerance lessens with the onset of old age. 'Old and wise' is the exception rather than the rule" (p. 143). I hope that is not true in my case and I want to endeavor to keep it from being true.
DeleteBeautiful reflection Leroy. I love the idea of writing Letters to your children and grandchildren to be read later. You reflect to me the analogy, that there comes a time when it is better to plant Apple trees than to pick apples. Happy birthday! As a Hospice Chaplain I recognize how precious life is. Each year, every day, every hour and every second. 🙂
ReplyDeleteOur AC went out Monday during a heat wave, and I have not done much at home since. We have been reminded that even in our 70s we are not as young as we used to be, and that NO ONE should be doing much when it is triple-digits hot! My father turned 101 the day after your birthday (That's an age, not a temperature!), so this is a reflecting time of year for me. May your next year be filled with grace and love. Here's a little song for you from Leonard Cohen, Come Healing from his 2012 album, Old Ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUB1O2cT2gM
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Craig--and that's tough to have your AC fail during such hot weather--and hotter than I would have expected in the northwest where you live. -- It is remarkable that your father celebrated his 101st birthday last week, and I hope he is doing well and was able to enjoy the occasion. (He still has several years to go if he lasts as long as Loreta Moore.)
DeleteThanks for the Leonard Cohen song. I haven't heard many of his songs, other than "Hallelujah," but I enjoyed listening to the one you gifted me with.
Happy belated birthday! Being twelve years younger, I suppose you were twenty-one when you baptized me as my pastor in 1959. You were a rather young seminary student at Southern Seminary. I love hearing about your son and daughter, Keith and Kathy. Somewhere I have a picture of them that needs to be sent to you.
ReplyDeletePlease keep writing these blogs. I have gone back through the ones I have saved and realized you and I agree on more than I thought. That can be frustrating for an old conservative like me.
Thanks for the birthday wishes, Tom. And, yes, my record book indicates that your baptismal service was eight days after my 21st birthday. -- With regards to your surprising agreement with me on many things, perhaps we are both in the radiant center that I wrote about in my previous blog post.
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