Forever Young

When I was a kid, I thought teenagers were old. When I was a teenager, I thought college students were old. When I was a college student, I thought people in their 30s were old. When I was in my 30s, I thought people in their 40s were just beginning to hit their stride. When I was in my 40s, I thought people in their 50s were smart, successful and sporty. Now that I'm in my 50s, I think people older than me are ... well ... wise and beautiful and as youthful as they choose to be (think Converse shoes and suspenders ... just sayin') and just plain awesome in so many more ways than I could possibly even begin to list. My dad used to talk a lot about how old age wasn't defined by years as much as it was by a person's heart, and I remember giggling when he would say, "If you think you're an old fart, then an old fart you'll surely be." Oh, how I miss Daddy and his sense of humor, his words of deep wisdom, the twinkle in his eye and the sound of his spontaneous and infectious laughter. George Bernard Shaw wrote, "You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing." I like to think that perhaps Daddy and George have become buddies in heaven and have shared more than a laugh or two together ... I think their words are perhaps some of the truest I've ever known.

A friend of mine lost his father on Sunday, and my thoughts and prayers have been with him and his family ever since I heard the news of his father's passing. I never met my friend's dad in person, but I felt as if I knew him from reading the wonderful stories my friend would pen about him from time to time. When he wrote about his dad's sense of humor and his laughter, it would always cause me to smile ... I know personally what a tremendous gift it is to have a father who spent his life creating such a wonderful legacy of love for his family. I wept as I watched the wonderful tribute video about his father that my friend posted ... a video filled with years of love and laughter and a life well-lived. As I watched the clips of a family I've never met, I was struck again with the knowledge that the most important things in life aren't things at all. 

It seems only fitting to close tonight's post with the words from the song my friend used in his father's tribute video ... an old song by Johnny Cash ... a song that's not defined by years but by the message from the heart contained within the words. Read them more than once ... do more than read them, friends ... live them every single day of your lives. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family tonight, my friend ... thank you for sharing your heart and your sweet dad with me and so many others.

"Forever Young"

"May God's blessing keep you always,
May your wishes always come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young."