The hiss of the gas hot-water system firing up outside my bedroom window tells me my 86-year old father is up. His daily rituals are as certain as the dawn.
The thump of a kitchen drawer tells me that my mother is up; her movements around the house as precise as the pendulum clock on the living room wall.
Old age has ushered in many variations but the habits of a lifetime will not be denied. Even the certitude of memory is not convinced by evidence that things are not in their normal place.
They look forward to each day, the new mercies that come with each rising sun all the proof they need that God looks down on them and smiles.
Simple pleasures like the matins of birds and their antics in the bird bath bring a delight that is eagerly anticipated and shared; flowers appearing in or out of season still a rewarding sight.
The difficulties of old age have become a secondary consideration. When their time has come they will not remember the hardships, for the humble joys of righteousness remain forever.
MDC
April 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment