Journal of a Living Lady #224

Nancy White Kelly

 

          Buddy and I are fortunate to have friends. We have never purposefully classified our friendships by age, wealth, or any other criteria. We love everybody. Honest.

          If we were forced to categorize our friendships by occupation, either past or present, I suppose our favorite group would be those in the ministry. We find them particularly inspiring and entertaining, especially when they take their halos off and act like us regular folks.

          I knew I would like our current pastor when he was introduced to the congregation several years ago. He said quite frankly, “What you see is what you get.” That’s my kind of guy.

          Bro. David, an evangelist and former college president from Oklahoma, is a newer acquaintance. He is an avid reader of this column and sends emails, articles and his recently read books to me. We share the same literary philosophy: books are for sharing, not hoarding.

          One of my favorites is The Joy of Successful Aging. It is full of wisdom and humor like this little gem in the opening pages. “Aging is when everything hurts and what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work.” I can relate.

          Though Stage 4 cancer is my physical nemesis, the calendar years have also taken toll on this body.  I am learning basic senior multi-tasking skills. When bending over to tie shoelaces, I always ask, “Is there anything else I need to do while I am down here?”

          If we can do at seventy what we were doing at twenty-five, then maybe we weren’t doing much at twenty-five.

          My secret to longevity is showing up. The other is prioritizing and then concentrating on what is truly important. For me, that is reaching out to family, friends, and even strangers. My family is sure the latter is going to be the death of me yet. I rebut that strangers are friends we have never met.

          In spite of the metastatic breast cancer that frequently challenges my blood and bone for viable space, I have lived longer than many thought possible.

          I know why.  Simply put, it is faith.

          With all my heart, I believe. With all my soul, I believe. I have believed, I am believing, and I will continue to believe every word in the Bible. I even believe the cover because it says “Holy.”

           I could write a book about all that I believe. The bottom line to optimistic faith comes from The Book itself. The word “faith” is mentioned 247 times in the King James Version. If it were only mentioned once, I would still believe in the exponential power of faith.

          The sovereign creator of the universe premeditated in each of us a divine plan and a unique purpose. Each of us has a space in the jigsaw puzzle of life. Thankfully, the pieces are not glued down. We are not permabonded no matter what our past. Looking back, I have regrets, including a few “wish I hads” and a large number of “wish I hadn’ts.” 

          Years ago, I realized what a handicap old baggage is and discarded it once and for all. Who needs to continually tote symbolic suitcases of regrets and unreconciled sin?  I asked God for a new beginning and got it. The past is the past. I don’t worry about what I can’t change.

          Fresh beginning is what the Bible is all about. Life is the ultimate reality show with plenty of challenges. As God is my witness and my helper, I plan to be a survivor until it is time to move on to the next level.

 

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nancyk@alltel.net