“Look not to the follies and pleasures of earth if you would inherit pure, heavenly mirth; but travel in righteousness, meekness and truth, and overcome all the temptations of youth.”
— Anonymous
With age comes wisdom, or so they say. Today, I am not buying it.
I was born April 8, 1959. So, according to the calendar, I am now sitting at the ripe old age of 50. Why is it I don’t feel old enough to be that old?
This past weekend, my youngest nephew was married. It served as a huge banner to me that time is marching on. I looked at that handsome groom — tall, serious, impeccably turned out — and felt a lump in my throat.
Blink of an eye
I marveled at my other nieces and nephews, all happy to be there with their wonderful spouses, some of whom have been blessed with babies of their own, and wondered how it has been possible an entire generation has grown up before our watchful eyes. It all seems to have transpired in the blink of an eye.
My youngest nephew, Bryan, has forever been the farmer boy. When he was still quite little, he saw no sense in serious issues like sitting still to play school or watch Sesame Street. If the weather was decent, he was outdoors with his toy tractors and implements. On stormy days or unbearably cold winter stretches, he created his own farming set-up on every available space he could claim inside the house.
The one thing I will forever remember about little “Bub” as we all call him, is he saw no sense in wearing shoes that required time to be tied. He preferred his big, puffy boots he could get on and off himself since he was always so busy going in and out. He had work to do!
Bub, who was always a friend to everyone, never showed any particular fascination in girls. When one very nice girl showed an interest in him in high school, we all crossed our fingers. Bub’s mother, my sister, told Bub this girl had called for him before he had arrived home from an FFA event.
“Again? My gosh, she just called me yesterday!” was his response. We all still laugh over that one!
Surprised
So, just about a year ago, we were surprised to find that Bub had gone on a date, set up by his older sister. Always a man of few words, he didn’t let any of us in on the fact that there was a second, then a third, date with a young woman named Angie.
When I finally had the opportunity to talk to him about this, he said, “Well, she had an FFA tag on her Jeep. So, I figured she can’t be all bad. I might ask her out again.”
The newlyweds will be our neighbors, as Bub had bought a small farm very close to ours a couple of years ago.
I am still trying to figure out how these little kids have all grown in to adults when I still feel stuck at about the age they are now, though my birthdays tell us otherwise.
Shaker blessing
An old Shaker blessing reads, “The blooming youth, the tender vine, my blessing also share; my spirit doth with theirs entwine with love and tender care. Time rolls away without delay, no one can stop its passing. He’s blessed us all with talents bright, to use while here in time; and as we sow, so shall we reap, when we have done with time.”
