Those of you who check “Secrets of an Old Woman” are aware that I don’t post very often. Oh, it’s not that I don’t have any old women secrets, but what I want to share is often more universal to silence, solitude and simplicity than to the uniqueness of my age (82). I’m also aware that because of the grace of good health, I just don’t have many secrets about my health. In fact my secrets are basic to yours, all of which take up more of our thought time as we get older: that I won’t get ill, feel awful, be in intense pain, have to make major medical decisions, and be a burden to others. But that isn’t a secret, is it? Everyone, as they reach adulthood, thinks about how it all will end. It just becomes more persistent and intense as we get older.
My mother lived to be 101; she died peacefully without physical or emotional pain. She was in excellent health but during the last year of her life her body faded away. My dad, on the other hand, died at age 80 of prostate cancer. He was ready to let go of the pain, but he also was at peace.
How can I be so certain that my parents died in peace? I know because their Christian faith was strong. They lived trying their best ‘to love their neighbor’—which meant to love everyone, and to be of service of others.
So, here’s my secret. To try to be as faithful as they were; to love and serve.
My mother lived to be 101; she died peacefully without physical or emotional pain. She was in excellent health but during the last year of her life her body faded away. My dad, on the other hand, died at age 80 of prostate cancer. He was ready to let go of the pain, but he also was at peace.
How can I be so certain that my parents died in peace? I know because their Christian faith was strong. They lived trying their best ‘to love their neighbor’—which meant to love everyone, and to be of service of others.
So, here’s my secret. To try to be as faithful as they were; to love and serve.
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