Something caught my eye and I looked up to see a brilliant sunset going on just outside the window. It caught me by surprise, it seemed too early in the day for the sunset, I thought, and yet there it was. And as quickly as I noticed and hurried to take a picture, it was gone. Used up, faded, and forgotten, aside from photos.
Much as I found myself feeling during my recent visit with my daughter and grandchildren. Oh it was an enjoyable time, there were no problems. Almost anyhow. All was fun and games the whole visit, until I happened to glance into a mirror and found my mother looking back at me. I never think of my age, I pretty much feel as good as ever so it hasn’t demanded attention. But there it was. Undeniable. I’m old. I’m as my mother was during the last years she visited with us. I remember how distant it felt to me to notice the signs of aging etching themselves into my mother’s face. I saw that it was happening to her, but somehow I never considered that I would also age in the same way. There is a lot of life written on my face, now that I look at it. I earned the wrinkles and the gray hair. So while I notice the changes in myself, I will try to remember that each sunset seems to reach it’s most glorious just as it slips below the horizon. It’s a good thought, it’s a reason to keep going. So yes I’m old, but my light is still burning, and I don’t think it’s even close to burning itself out, not yet…
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 