Since we don’t really have a voice into whose family we are born, I feel extremely blessed to have been offered the opportunity to be a part of multiple families—both those who share genetic material with me and those who share their lives with me! Attempting to use words here to express my profound gratitude for two people who have managed to survive on this planet for Eight Decades will fall woefully short, but since a loss of the perfect words hasn’t stopped me before, why begin today?

Any claim I assert that my life is an abundant or flourishing one is largely due to the fact that I was blessed with two amazing Godly parents. For over fifty years, they’ve invested in my life spiritually, financially, prayerfully, physically, and any other “lly” you can assemble into a word. When I think of how gracious a gift I have been given with these two people of faith, I’m reminded of Andy Stanley’s seasons of parenting that he has articulated, and I think they appropriately reflect our family’s experience: Discipline Years (Ages 1-5), Training Years (Ages 5-12), Coaching Years (12-18), and Friendship Years (18+).

It’s the season of friendship years that we’ve now been navigating for several decades, and I treasure each and every moment (well, most anyway), that the Lord allows us time together, whether that’s in the company of relatives or working alongside our Campers on Mission family. The lyrics to Hold You Dear capture best this present season for me: Oh blessed mother and the father I adore/There is time upon your faces/I will cherish you until you leave me for your eternal holy places/And I will hold you dear/While my shadow’s long and my eyes are clear/I know these days will pass away/So, I will hold you dear. As I shared in the post Odometer Reading, we don’t know how many more moments we have on this earth, so I plan to treasure these friendship days and hold them dear before they indeed pass away.

My parents and I engage in very candid conversations about both our Chronos and Kairos time that we have been allotted on this planet, and I admit to failing in posing this question to them: Would you describe your life as flourishing? Looking through the lens as their daughter and friend, I would strongly answer in the affirmative. Has it been easy? No. But through every struggle and issue, they have demonstrated what it means to rely on Everyday Faithfulness to see them through, and they passed on the Habits of a Flourishing Life to me, even if we have not identified their guidance specifically in those terms.

So, yes, I strongly believe they are living a life that can be described as abundant and flourishing. In Billy Graham’s Nearing Home, he shares the following about growing older and living a flourishing life: “While the Bible doesn’t gloss over the problems we face as we grow older, neither does it paint old age as a time to be despised or a burden to be endured with gritted teeth (if we still have any). Nor does it picture us in our latter years as useless and ineffective, condemned to spend our last days in endless boredom or meaningless activity until God finally takes us home. Instead the Bible says that God has a reason for keeping us here; if He didn’t, He would take us to Heaven far sooner. But what is His purpose for these years, and how can we align our lives with it?” I view my parents as having stewarded their Eight Decades well—not only in their initial careers but in their Encore Career as volunteers. They are living lives aligned with their God-given purpose. Can the rest of us state the same?

Graham continues, “The older generation may have a hard time keeping up with the younger, but let’s remember that as long as we are still breathing, we are leading the way. The generations that follow are learning about growing old from us. Are we good examples? While we have all made mistakes and would like to turn back the clock to correct some things, we know this is not possible. But the lessons we have learned from our failures and successes can help those following behind. The impact we can potentially have on them can mean the difference between leaving good memories in our place or simply being out of sight, out of mind.” Thank you, Mom and Dad, for leading me and others well during your Eight Decades, allowing us to learn from your mistakes and guiding us along after we’ve made our own. May I be blessed to follow in the footsteps you laid as a solid foundation for life!

Dad has already added a few extra years to his Eight Decades, but Mom is now joining the ranks this week. May your day be special, Mom! If you desire to see her amazing life in photos, please visit the video below. I love you both!

References:

Graham, B. (2011). Nearing home: Life, faith, and finishing well. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

McAboy, T. (2017, November 9). Andy Stanley’s Future Family: Seasons of parenting. Zeeland Christian School. Retrieved from https://www.zcs.org/seasons-of-parenting/

Rogers, L. & Rogers, L. (2020). Hold you dear. [Song]. On Saturn Return by the Secret Sisters.

Happy 80th Birthday, Mom! Video.