Day 36
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Gideon's post via Keith's post of an ethic of gratitude was good. Thank you both for this. There are countless things for which I am thankful, and no matter how depressed or cynical I get, I'm always awash in blessings.
There are obvious ones. Then are ones I don't always think of, like eldery people. I'm grateful for older folks that I've come in contact with throughout my life.
Some drive slowly. Some release their need to talk on unwitting ears. Some smell like Bengay and some have shortened tempers in their age. But coming in contact with so many older people is a blessing. They might be in the twilight of their mortal life, but that doesn't mean they're useless (as some in my generation think). They've lived a long time. They've seen things, experienced things. They have stories. They have wisdom. They are a treasure.
I've been having an increasingly hard time watching films or reading books about WWII; not for any ethical reason, necessarily, but because I realize that the "Greatest Generation" is quickly fading away. The obituary section of the Beaver County Times usually has at least one Second World War veteran in it a week, if not day. It makes me choke back tears.
We have so much to learn from the elderly, and I'm always scared that we (I'm using "we" in a very general sense, by the way) are ignoring them.
posted, with grace and poise, by Jason @ 10/11/2006 11:10:00 PM,
1 Comments:
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At 8:36 PM,
Buddy Chamberlain said...
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And in the Pittsburgh area, you are subjected to one of the largest elderly communities outside of Florida, so you are more keenly aware of these things than then rest of us... but we should all appreciate those who have worked to make the world what we enjoy today.
