Our Really Old Kids

I have a hunch that our kids are going to live to be really old. I’ll tell you why shortly.

With six grandkids living nearby and three more in Connecticut, several of whom are teenagers with incredibly busy schedules, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to carve out a night to celebrate a family birthday. That’s why my sons and their wives decided to honor their mother by celebrating her birthday today (Saturday) with a mid-morning brunch.  I won’t tell you how old she is but I will tell you she’s six years younger than me most of the time and I’m headed for my 82nd  in a few months; how can that possibly be?! I used to think only old folks talked that way! By the way, people who are meeting Bess for the first time can’t believe she’s really that old because she doesn’t look it; and sometimes she doesn’t act it either. Neither of those facts bother me in the least!

You should have seen the spread they prepared for her:

• Breakfast casserole
• Bacon
• Waffles with real Pennsylvania maple syrup and fruit and homemade whipped cream toppings (A Milby family tradition!)
• Croissants with multiple jams
• Banana bread
• Fresh ground coffee and smoothies

It was fabulous. I’ll try to get them to post pictures on Facebook.

So why do I say our kids will probably live extra long and prosperous lives? Because the Bible says so. 

Exodus 20:12 says:”Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

And Ephesians 6:1-3  says: Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

It’s not always the case that the Old and New Testaments so clearly echo a principle as this but I think you’ll agree with me there’s nothing ambiguous about this principle! I say principle instead promise because  I personally don’t believe it’s a “iron clad” promise. If it were I believe it would be even more emphatic. But we seniors know more than most that “life happens” and none of us are even guaranteed tomorrow, nonetheless many more prosperous years. But the principle is true. Think of it this way, in order to honor your parents, you have to stay away from harmful lifestyles, habits and addictions that definitely tend to shorten lives as well as make them less prosperous and happy. I just love the Bible’s timeless and practical living advice that works for the here and now as well as for all eternity, don’t you?

By the way, If you want to live a happy and on-time life, remember to make all your clocks Spring Forward next weekend because daylight savings time starts Sunday, March 9th!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors… see you next week!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at  https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA