When one reaches 75 years of age they
enter the top quartile of human existence...I have arrived and spent some time here! - JW
In the top quartile of life:
Every day is Thanksgiving Day
Every breath is a new opportunity
Every sunrise is a new miracle
Every smile is a new sunrise
Every friend is a valued treasure
Every grandchild is a kingly jewel & every
great grandchild a crown of gold
Every family contact is an unmeasureable blessing, and
Every new task is a life transfusion
Righteous people flourish like palm trees and grow tall like the cedars in Lebanon. They
are planted in the Lord’s house. They
blossom in our God’s courtyards. Even when they are old, they still bear
fruit. They are always healthy and fresh.
They make it known that
the Lord is
decent. He is my rock.
He is never unfair.
If
your Creator gives you His highest honor of rising into the TOP Quartile of Life (between 75 and 100 years of age) and of
retaining reasonable health,
…you
are blessed with opportunities like never before:
The
opportunity to stop thinking and worrying about things you cannot control.
The
opportunity to think and comment positively and optimistically on any subject that others speak negatively about.
The
opportunity to stop counting…minutes, hours, days, years, calories, money, exercise motions, pool laps, etc.
The
opportunity to forget the unpleasant and remember what brings you joy.
The
opportunity to sit quietly and watch a flower bloom.
The
opportunity to enjoy the company of your closest loved ones and friends.
The
opportunity to caress your favorite pet and enjoy its love.
The
opportunity to rock in your rocking chair or recline in your recliner.
The
opportunity to listen to your favorite music.
The
opportunity to read you favorite literature.
The
opportunity to enjoy nature.
The
opportunity to be free from those temptations that ensnared you in the three lower profiles.
The
opportunity to think, unpressured by distractions.
The
opportunity to be a blessing to others, whether through service or inspiration.
The
opportunity to contemplate life and communicate with your Creator.
…And
all of the above without feeling you are constrained by lack of time or by what others may think or say.
As in
the first three Quartiles of Life, your life is what you make it. But in the TOP Quartile of Life you are free to redefine
yourself and your heritage by being a positive influence for your own happiness and that of others or by being a negative
source of criticism and complaint. If you truly deserve this highest honor you will choose to be positive and optimistic
as you look down from the summit of your life’s long journey.The
beginning of a new year is a good time to resolve to be optimistic and positive in all you do and say.
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire, If you did, what would there be to look forward
to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During
those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillmentcomes
to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and
they can become your blessings.
Author Unknown
_______________________
Blessed are those that can give without remembering
and receive without forgetting. -- Author Unknown
LIFE
“Life is an opportunity,
benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life
is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle,accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”
"People are often unreasonable,
illogical, and self-centred; Forgive
them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives; Be
kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies; Succeed
anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may
cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone
could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they
may be jealous; Be happy
anyway.
The good you
do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do
good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it
may never be enough; Give the
world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and GOD. It was never between you and them anyway.
- Keith M Kent"
COUNT UP
Count your blessings instead of
your crosses; Count your gains instead of your losses. Count your joys instead of your
woes; Count your friends instead of your foes. Count your smiles instead of your tears; Count your courage instead of your fears. Count
your full years instead of your lean; Count your kind deeds instead of your mean. Count your health instead of your wealth; Count on God instead of yourself.
Author Unknown
______________________
"At fifteen, I aspired to learning.
At thirty, I established
my stand.
At forty, I had no delusions.
At fifty, I knew my destiny.
At sixty, I knew truth in all I heard.
At seventy, I could follow the wishes of my heart
...without doing wrong."
-Confucius
"You are as
young as your faith,
As
old as your doubt. As young as your self-confidence, As
old as your fears. As young as your hope and as old as your despair.
When
your heart begins to be covered with the snows of pessimism
and
the ices of skepticism, then and only then are starting
to get old"
This is all a man needs in the top quartile
of life:
Como
la música que se escucha en las tranquilas
aguas Como los pinos acariciados por el viento que pasa Como las perlas acostadas en la profundidad de los mares Como
las estrellas que brillan en el firmamento Como junio, bañado en el aroma de las rosas Como el sol que posa sus labios
en las hojas del trébol Como las hilos de seda en la mazorca de maíz Como las briznas de musgo en el bosque umbrío Como
en los aledaños de los riachuelos, donde crecen las violetas Como el arco iris que se comba en el azul cielo Como las
nubes, cuando se esconde el sol Como los sueños voluptuosos de la Arcadia feliz Como los colores que graciosamente se
entremezclan Como todo aquello que traspira pureza…….. Como todo esto….así es el afecto de un amigo
"...the idea of aging-related gains in wisdom is consistent with views of the aging mind in developmental
psychology...We addressed this question in two studies, using a representative community sample...Social reasoning improves
with age despite a decline in fluid intelligence. The results suggest that it might be advisable to assign older individuals
to key social roles involving legal decisions, counseling, and intergroup negotiations." - National Academy of Sciences
ISAIAH 43:16 This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters...
ISAIAH 43:18“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past..."
________________________________
Look to the future,
not the past,
Look forward,
not back,
Look up, not down,
and DO GOOD
______
"The
only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to
his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because
we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the
fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honor." —Sir Winston
S. Churchill
-----------
"A
los quince años, aspiraba a estudiar.
A
los treinta, establecí mi posición.
A los cuarenta,
no me hacía ilusiones,
A los cincuenta, sabía mi destino.
A los sesenta, apreciaba
la verdad en todo lo que oía.
A
los setenta, podría seguir
los deseos de mi corazón
...sin hacer mal."
-Confucio
______________________
“Tú
eres tan joven como tu fe,
tan viejo como tus dudas.
Tan joven como la confianza en ti,
Tan viejo como tus temores.
Tan
joven como tu esperanza y
tan viejo como tu desesperanza.
Cuando tu corazón se empiece
a cubrir con las nieves del pesimismo y
el hielo del escepticismo,
entonces,
y sólo entonces estas empezando a
envejecer."
__________________________ proverbio nórdico.
"People start out at age 18 feeling pretty good about themselves, and then, apparently,
life begins to throw curve balls. They feel worse and worse until they hit 50. At that point, there is a sharp reversal, and
people keep getting happier as they age. By the time they are 85, they are even more satisfied with themselves than they were
at 18."
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies"
Psalm
103:1-4
_______________________________________________
"A
pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Winston Churchill
______________________________________
“So much
of our time is spent in preparation, so much in routine, and so much in retrospect, that the amount of each person’s
genius is confined to a very few hours.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerso
"LIFE BEGINS AT 80" by Frank Laubach
I have good news for you. The first 80 years are the hardest. The
second 80 are a succession Of birthday parties.
Once you reach 80, Everyone wants to carry your baggage And
help you up the steps. If you forget your name, Or anybody else’s name, Or an appointment, Or your own telephone
number, Or promise to be three places At the same time, Or can’t remember how many Grandchildren you have, You
need only explain that you are 80.
Being 80 is a lot better than being 70. At 70 people are
mad at you for everything. At 80 you have a perfect excuse, No matter what you do. If you act foolishly, It’s
your second childhood. Everybody is looking for symptoms Of softening of the brain.
Being 70 is no fun at all. At 70 they expect you to retire To
a house in Florida And complain about your arthritis. And you ask everybody to stop mumbling Because you can’t
understand them. (Actually your hearing is about 50% gone.)
If you survive until you are 80, Everybody is surprised
that you are still alive. They treat you with respect Just for having lived so long. Actually they seem surprised That
you can walk and talk sensibly.
So, please, folks, try to make it to 80. It’s the
best time of your life. People forgive you for anything. If you ask me, life begins at 80.
And then it is Winter …......You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.
It
seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems
like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all...And
I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... But, here it is...the winter of my life and it catches
me by surprise.... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?
I
remember well...seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that
winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like... But, here it is...my friends are
retired and getting gray...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...
but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant... but, like me, their age is
beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
Each
day now, I find that just getting a shower might
bea real target for the day! And so, now I enter into
this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things
that I wish I had done but never did!!
But, at least
I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over...its over....Yes
, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done ,,,,,things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things
I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime....
So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it
will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it! Don't put things
off too long!!
Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure
whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise
that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones toremember...and hope that theyappreciate and love youfor the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!
'Life is a gift to you. The way
you live your life is your gift to those who come after......
Make it a fantastic one.'
When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country
town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions,
they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse
in the hospital.
One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in
the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also
been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now
the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet.
Cranky Old Man
What
do you see nurses?… … What do you see? What are you thinking… … when you’re looking at me? A
cranky old man… … not very wise, Uncertain of habit… … with faraway eyes? Who dribbles his food…
… and makes no reply. When you say in a loud voice… … ‘I do wish you’d try!’ Who
seems not to notice… … the things that you do. And forever is losing… … A sock or shoe? Who,
resisting or not… … lets you do as you will, With bathing and feeding… … The long day to fill? Is
that what you’re thinking?… … Is that what you see? Then open your eyes, nurse… … you’re
not looking at me. I’ll tell you who I am … … As I sit here so still, As I do at your bidding…
… as I eat at your will. I’m a small child of Ten… … with a father and mother, Brothers and
sisters… … who love one another A young boy of Sixteen… … with wings on his feet Dreaming that
soon now… … a lover he’ll meet. A groom soon at Twenty… … my heart gives a leap. Remembering,
the vows… … that I promised to keep. At Twenty-Five, now… … I have young of my own. Who need
me to guide… … And a secure happy home. A man of Thirty… … My young now grown fast, Bound to
each other… … With ties that should last. At Forty, my young sons… … have grown and are gone, But
my woman is beside me… … to see I don’t mourn. At Fifty, once more… … Babies play ‘round
my knee, Again, we know children … … My loved one and me. Dark days are upon me… … My wife is
now dead. I look at the future… … I shudder with dread. For my young are all rearing… … young
of their own. And I think of the years… … And the love that I’ve known. I’m now an old man…
… and nature is cruel. It’s jest to make old age… … look like a fool. The body, it crumbles…
… grace and vigor, depart. There is now a stone… … where I once had a heart. But inside this old carcass…
… A young man still dwells, And now and again… … my battered heart swells I remember the joys…
… I remember the pain. And I’m loving and living… … life over again. I think of the years, all
too few… … gone too fast. And accept the stark fact… … that nothing can last. So open your eyes,
people… … open and see. Not a cranky old man… … Look closer… see … … . . ME!!
Remember
this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all,
one day, be there too!
___________________
" And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose. "
'Sit all day by the door of your house
and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.' The dog said: 'That's
a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?' So God agreed.
On the second day, God
created the monkey
and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them
laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.' The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How
about I give you back ten like the Dog did?' And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You
must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's
family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.' The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live
for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?' And God agreed again.
On the fourth day,
God created humans and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.' But the
human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave
back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?' 'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'
So that is
why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves...
For the next forty years we slave in the sun
to support our family...
For the next ten years we do monkey tricks
to entertain the grandchildren...
And for the last ten years we sit on the front
porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
A guy is 72 years old and loves
to fish. He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, 'Pick me up.' He
looked around and couldn't see anyone. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say
again,'Pick me up.'
He looked in the water and there,
floating on the top, was a frog. The man said, 'Are you talking to me?' The frog said, 'Yes,
I'm talking to you.' Pick me up then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen.
I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!'
The man looked at the frog for a short time,
reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front pocket.
The frog said, 'What, are you nuts? Didn't
you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride.'
He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and
said, 'Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog.'
Blessed In Aging Blessed are they who understand My faltering step and shaking hand Blessed, who know my ears today Must
strain to hear the things they say. Blessed are those who seem to know My eyes are dim and my mind is slow Blessed
are those who look away When I spilled tea that weary day. Blessed are they who, with cheery smile Stopped to chat
for a little while Blessed are they who know the way To bring back memories of yesterday. Blessed are those who never
say “You’ve told that story twice today” Blessed are they who make it known That I am loved, respected
and not alone. And blessed are they who will ease the days Of my journey home, in loving ways. ~Esther
Mary Walker
The clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power To tell just when the hands
will stop At late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith
in time. For the clock may soon be still.
- Robert H. Smith
Whenever you find you
are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect
--- Mark Twain
We have never observed
a great civilization with a population as old as the United States will have in the twenty-first century; we have never observed
a great civilization that is as secular as we are apparently going to become; and we have had only half a century of experience
with advanced welfare states...Charles Murray
Kella
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