A Turn in the Road

In recent weeks, I’ve learned that I am not too old to go in a new direction.  Senior adults—me included—are notorious for not wanting to change their living conditions, schedules, habits, or affiliations with friends and groups.  We enjoy the routine and similarity of each day and don’t want to be jarred out of our comfort zones.

After 23 years of love and loyalty to our church, Charles and I are being led to find a new one. It started in January of this year when we realized the distance and traffic on our route to church had become more of an issue than ever before.  The still, small voice of God spoke to my heart and said we needed to find a church closer to home.  I didn’t tell Charles about my feelings at the time, because I knew we didn’t want to leave our close-knit group of friends with whom we study the Bible, worship, and share life.

Charles is still a top-notch day and night driver in all weather conditions. He can navigate the interstates with the best of them and I can ride with him anywhere.  Not so for me.  My night driving skills have changed, and I avoid heavy traffic on the interstates at all costs.  When it’s raining, my driving skills really deteriorate.  We had already changed doctors and dentists and other providers in order to stay within a less than five-mile radius of home.

Recent developments in our church and issues that no one saw coming six months ago have confirmed that my earlier thoughts and urgings were preparing me for the inevitable. Theological differences with our pastor and staff helped us realize, it is time to move on.  We are not too old to go in a different direction after all.

Our friends will still be friends.  It will just take more effort to see them and communicate with them. We have no idea at this point where we will find the right church for us.  But God knows where he wants us to worship and serve.  He will lead us in the future just as he has in the past.

The Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11 will be my anchor for the next several months.

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Blog Along with Me

Today I write blog post #98 and celebrate the fourth anniversary of Too/Two Late Bloomers, which I started in May 2012. During these four years, 20,000 people in over 20 countries have clicked on my blog. I think that is something to celebrate. Last week I taught a class on blogging for beginners at my Christian Authors Guild writers’ group and was amazed that my experience encourages others to take a leap into the blogosphere. 

People benefit from blogging—especially senior adults— according to Carla K Johnson of the Associated Press who wrote an article entitled “Senior Citizen Bloggers Defy Stereotypes” in 2005. Putting your thoughts on paper and online is good therapy.

Blogging helps all age groups because people are writing about topics of interest to them. Blogging keeps our mental juices flowing and connects us with people of like interest. When people blog, they are not in front of the TV and are being creative. While reading and writing blogs, folks grow and learn each day.

You have gotten to know me and my late bloomer husband through my blog and now I’d like to know you better.

What would you blog about if you had the chance?

Here’s your opportunity. I am soliciting input for my blog from you and throwing out a challenge. Submit a paragraph or poem to me on any subject you like, and after editing I will publish it on my blog during the month of June. You can identify yourself or submit it anonymously. Here are some topics to choose from along with others that interest you.

• Rites of passage – graduations, weddings, new jobs, retirement
• Summer holidays – the flag, military service, parades, picnics
• Seasons of Life – empty nest syndrome, senior adulthood, children/grandchildren
• Spiritual Experiences – answered prayers, helping a neighbor, feeling God’s presence

Type your submission in the body of an email with the subject line reading: blog submission and send it to me at:  friedas@bellsouth.net

I can’t wait to see how many of you will accept the challenge.

A Moving Experience

Many people I know are moving. I have five new addresses for family members to change in my address book. Last year at this time, we were involved in one of life’s greatest stressors—selling our house and buying a new one. Fall of 2011 is a complete blur. We spent day after beautiful day digging through our attic and basement–sorting, discarding, packing, and reminiscing. Dealing with realtors, appraisers, inspectors, and contractors took up the rest of our time and energy. Whew! It makes me tired just writing about it. What is accomplished in one hour on Home & Garden Television (HGTV) took us much longer to achieve—and we are not done yet. There are still boxes to open and closets to organize. When we add up all the pluses and minuses of our moving adventure, it remains for us a good decision and positive move. Why did we put ourselves through the frustration and work?  We needed to simplify our lives, and by doing so, freed up more time for hobbies and ministry in our church and community. 

In the next two weeks, our church people are moving to a transitional location while our new church building is under construction. Our existing property and building was bought by a company that is constructing housing for the exploding student population at Kennesaw State University. Our congregation bought its acreage seventeen years ago for $39,000 per acre and sold it for $500,000 per acre. I like God’s kind of inflation. We have grown comfortable in our present building and location, so there will some adjustments to make—but lots of new opportunities as well. The senior adults in our church are some of the most excited about the move. Often seniors are stereotyped as people unwilling to change, but ours have embraced it.

Don’t be afraid to keep moving on,

For what was before, now has gone,

God wants to accomplish so much more,

But we need to move forward in the Lord.

© By M.S. Lowndes, Based on Isaiah 43:18-19

Planting Seeds and Growing Lives

How does your garden grow?  I’m not talking about flowers to admire or home grown vegetables to eat. Instead, I’m thinking about the positive influence senior adults can have on the younger generations. Two examples come to mind. This is the week for Vacation Bible School at our church. The parking lot swarms with parents bringing their children for a jam-packed week of Bible stories, crafts, music, and missions. Charles directs the cars in and out each day to ensure everyone’s safety. Then 160 eager faces approach me at the registration table to wait for a name tag. Monday is nerve wracking as I scramble to find each child’s class assignment. As I observe the children’s activities, I ask myself, “Did I ever have that much energy?”  It makes me grateful for those older caring adults who spent hours planting the seeds of God’s love in my life so many years ago when I attended VBS.

For the past ten years, our aerospace engineering company, Consulting Aviation Services, has offered a mentoring program to high school seniors interested in engineering and aviation. Charles is very eager to pass along his vast knowledge in the field of mathematics and aviation to the next generation.  Numerous students have earned course credit and valuable experience as they worked on projects for our company. All of our interns graduate high school with highest honors and go on to advanced studies in college. Planting seeds in the fertile ground of the next generation reaps a fruitful harvest and makes our lives richer and more rewarding.