“Everyday is a gift, and as long as I can open my eyes, I will focus on the new day, and all the happy memories that I have built up during my life.”  The Wise Old Man

When is the last time you chose in advance to be happy?

The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.  (Prov. 20:29; NLT)

As some of you know, Sharon’s Dad and Mom (86 and 84 respectively) have had a pretty rough year health-wise. You may remember Sharon’s “Tribute to a Lasting Marriage” on the occasion of their 62 wedding anniversary (See 3/10 DG). Now, from the extreme of being healthy for virtually all of their lives, we have witnessed a swing to the other extreme over the last 12 to 18 months as they seem to go from one crisis to the next. First one of them, then the other one. We just never know what the next phone call is going to bring.

About a week and a half ago, Sharon and I traveled to Dallas to attend a major international event put on by the company we work closely with. When we got back we called Mom and Dad, only to find that they were both very ill–bad colds or possibly the flu. The next day, Sharon’s Aunt Meg (who deserves her own special tribute on of these days) took them to see the doctor, and he promptly put both of them in the hospital–diagnosis…pneumonia!

Sharon and I drove up to PA this last Saturday and then on Monday, I drove home leaving Sharon there to do anything she could to help with the situation. Dad was discharged, but as of this writing, Mom is still in the hospital. Dad is home, but the medications they used to fight the pneumonia continue to take a major toll on his body. Mom’s recovery is considerably slower and so she will likely not be allowed to come home even when she’s discharged from the hospital as she needs 24/7 care. As you can well imagine…there are some pretty tough decisions that need to be made.

All that is to give you a glimpse of what’s going on in our lives, but also to set up today’s link that was sent by my friend from Denver, Shelley Grieser. (If you’re keeping score, Shelley has sent me quite a few poignant links here of late. She seems to have located my soft spots.) This particular link has a very compelling message for all of us, but you will also see an obvious connection to what’s going on in our lives when you open it and watch it for yourself. (Just a little procedural note: the presentation does not play by itself, you will have to click your left mouse button to move the story forward slide by slide.)

Enjoy the presentation and join us in prayer for Dad and Mom.

Prayer Power
Lord, we thank You for the wisdom of maturity and experience.  Give us the wisdom to listen to what they have to say.  Give us the ability to convey a message of gratitude, love, and respect to them in return.  We thank You for every additional day we have together.

Link of the Day
The Wise Old Man

Blessings on you as you deposit all the happiness you can in your bank account of memories.