“I am enjoying to the full that period of reflection which is the happiest conclusion to a life of action.”

– Willa Cather

Most of my life I’ve been terrified of growing old and dying. When you are young all you want to be is older. ‘When I grow up I’ll be’ is a constant subject tossed around in a young child’s head with a different outcome each and every time. When my mother passed at the age of 76, dying became a real enemy and the reason for hers was never fully understood by me. I am 59 years old now and the little things in life excite me and give me peace as well. A hug from a grandchild, a smile from a stranger, a furry head in my lap waiting to be petted, and the constantly amazing world of nature. Things grow and bloom and become beautiful, but even in death there is beauty. Nothing is more brilliant than the Maple leaf as it prepares to leave the tree and adorn the ground.

After all the years of ‘growing up’, I have now reached the years of winding down. I am becoming at peace with the idea that I will not live forever and each day must be lived to its maximum. The days pass by a little more quickly even though my body is moving a little slower. So now I try to enjoy each and every day and mood, each sunrise and sunset, each tear that graces my check in tender moments and be thankful that I was given this opportunity to be me and to touch the lives of those around me.

~ Lynda Schnekenburger

“I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations; and suddenly find—at the age of fifty, say—that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about…. It is as if a fresh sap of ideas and thoughts was rising in you.”

– Agatha Christie