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It's mother's day weekend. I'll be spending time with mom & dad both tomorrow and Sunday, picking them up at their condo tomorrow and bringing them to my eldest niece's wedding shower, and then Sunday going to Edina to meet them at their church. Mom really likes it when I can come by.

I've got a little chore to do for them too, so there won't be a lot of "me time" this weekend. I can feel unhappy about not having a lot of the unscheduled time I treasure so much, but I can if I choose, keep focused on all these overflowing gifts the Lord has given to fill my days. It's strange that, at almost 61 years old, I still need to make that choice. I'm grateful the the Lord mercifully sets me straight over and over again.

Toni will be with her parents too, partly helping them with the process of getting them ready to move to an "independent living apartment" at a large "retirement community" in the smaller city where they've been living since Toni's dad retired more than 20 years ago. Dick & Jo (Toni's parents) hosted Toni and our kids and their spouses and children for dinner on Thursday night, plus Toni's brother and a niece and her children and husband and his parents. Don't try to keep track. It's a big group.

Both of us still have both of our parents living within an hour's drive of our home. And both sets of parents are still together. My mom often expresses her thankfulness that she and dad are still together, now in their elder years. My dad is the oldest of the 4. He'll be 91 this summer. Both sets of parents are dealing with the challenges that come with aging. Those challenges will come to Toni and me too.

My 61st birthday is coming up. I need to pause and think about that because I don't feel any older than I did 20 years ago. I'm training right now for a "5K" run that I was invited to do with my sister's daughters. Pretty much all of me still works pretty well. I've gotten over the migraines I used to have and the elevated blood pressure I suffered during some stressful times in 2009 and 2010. I have no disabilities or ongoing health issues. I rarely suffer any pain. I often feel like I'm in my 30s. One of my bus passengers, a teenage boy, said I looked that age. I asked him if he noticed my grey hair. He said that could be "a mutation." Even so, time does march on and things will change. I say now that I'll choose to look for the blessings in that too.

An older friend once told me, when he was entering his 80s, that every decade in his life was getting better. That's true for me in many ways, even though there is grief in seeing the older generation getting more dependent on us youngsters. I'm sure the time will come for me when I need care too. We don't live in this broken world forever. So even when things are going pretty well, it's good to keep my eyes focused on the Lord and His promises, promises that are there for EVERYONE who the Lord loves, meaning you too.

Peace and joy in Jesus to all who stumble upon this little reflection tonight, or whenever. God bless you now and always.

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