Tuesday With Teri

          I have come to appreciate that certain things are relative.  Age for example.  When I was a teenager I recall thinking anyone over 30 was old.  By the time I was in my twenties, I considered 40 old.  I distinctly remember the day I turned thirty and thinking how young I still felt; at that time, 50 became the benchmark for old age.  Now that I am well, WELL, into my forties, I am very clearly convinced that 50-80 are grand years and nowhere near “old!”  Those over 80 are “ageless” and to be honored and admired.  As my father-in law is fond of reminding me, “Getting old sure beats the alternative!”

          I share this to remind myself of this concept.  You see, the other day  Steven, my 23yr old son, presented me with a rather large check, a reality check that is.  He had invited me to go to with him to a local estate sale.  It was my first time to attend one.  Estate sales are homes opened to the public and all items within it are up for sale.  People need to liquidate their assets for various reasons, sadly, often it is because the home’s owners either have passed away, or have moved into nursing homes.  It is a great place to find antiques or unique items at low cost.

          As we passed through the dimly lit rooms, packed with all sorts of knick-knacks and collectables, it was easy to imagine the previous owners of these possessions.  I was admiring a tin purse, set among a collection of fashionable hats, and picturing a woman who once went out to the local clubs with her husband and danced the night away.  My imaginative reverie was broke by my son’s insistent nudge.

          “Hey mom, look at this!”, He was proudly holding his intended purchase….a faded tootsie roll bank.  Yep, some of you know just what I am talking about…a simple, cylindrical, giant tootsie roll with a slot in the top for coins.   “You don’t want that,” I reprimanded him, “it’s not even OLD, I had one of those when I was young.”…..there was a slightly uncomfortable pause as everyone in the room with us overheard our conversation…”uh, mom,” said my son “you’re old.”  He said it somewhat carefully at first, as if he realized he may actually be the first to break this news to me, but that was soon followed by his laughter as well as a few chuckles from nearby shoppers.  He returned the item to its perch on a display shelf.

          I’m not saying I am antique material exactly, but I am more keenly aware of the distance I have come from being the little girl who once owned a Tootsie roll piggy bank.  I have been thinking about that a bit.  Even coming as far as I have, I know there is farther to go.

          Sometimes I wonder what God could be thinking as He sets me on my life path.  I most certainly do not always agree with how I have been made or understand His ways, but I do know I am His and even as I grow older, He is still perfecting me through His love and grace.

           I like this quote by J.C. Macauly, “God made you as you are in order to use you as He planned.”

I have not reached my goal, and I am not perfect.  But Christ has taken hold of me.  So I keep running and struggling to take hold of the prize.  (Phil.3:12)CEV