I was glad to see my ophthalmologist, in fact, she was a sight for sore eyes!

Dr. Ruhi Soni

I hope today finds each one making it in their journey here on the planet, especially, on this day, Thursday, October 24, 2019. Time marches on. We've been attending a few of our grandson, Brady's, 8th-grade football games. We sit with our son and his wife, typically, at the top of the bleachers. Kids of all ages run up and down those bleachers like the steps are not even there. I can remember when I could do that. It hasn't been that long ago. Not anymore. I have to look before I step. I climb now very gingerly. Time marches on. I saw my ophthalmologist yesterday morning. They do a very thorough examination due to my diabetes. I did have to do those time slice pictures where blinking is not allowed. One of my worst instinctual responses is triggered the minute they say don't blink. "You must not blink because I can't finish these tests if you do." Lord knows I was trying. Got that done. Asked about my current eye situation I had to tell them things are getting a little fuzzy these days. (No. I wasn't referring to my thinking. Wrong doctor.) Cataracts. My night vision is deteriorating. Cataracts. Significant development of my cataracts but they are still not ready to be operated on. Therefore, I received a much stronger prescription for new glasses. Let me pause to say we have some of the finest medical folks I've ever known doing their best to help us along our way.  Taking care of my eyes is Dr. Soni who is first and foremost, a wonderful person and a consummate professional. We also have an outstanding primary care physician. My point? It is true that time is marching on and as it does it's keeping time with my ever-changing cataracts, but, we thank God for those who are there to watch out for our medical needs. Amen.

I thought I might miss the cataract situation. It was sounding pretty good until it was no longer sounding good. I used to run down the stairs here in our home. Sometimes I ran down with a grandbaby in my arms. The wife would always proclaim, "One of these days you are going to hurt yourself and maybe hurt one of our grandkids." Thankfully, that never happened but the day did come when I changed from a run to a trot and now I carefully navigate the stairs. You hear folks say all the time they want to grow older gracefully. That would not be illustrated by me climbing those bleachers. It's best to have a good sense of humor about the so-called aging process. President Ronald Reagan was often the subject of folks talking about his propensity to doze off. Here is how he responded: "I have left orders to be awakened at any time during a national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting." Many of us can identify with this little unattributed ditty, "My face in the mirror isn’t wrinkled or drawn. My house isn’t dirty. The cobwebs are gone. My garden looks lovely and so does my lawn. I think I might never put my glasses back on." One older lady seemed to make some sense out of the retirement of her mate, "It's like getting twice as much husband for half as much pay." But we do have even more to look forward to: "First, you forget names, then you forget faces. Then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down."

I'll end today's edition with a few of the Church names given to their senior groups. ~ • 4G’s - Grand Guys and Gals Group • Aged to Perfection • Ageless Wonders • Autumn Leaves • Autumn Years Club • Ball Club (Be Active and Live Longer) • Best Years Club • Brunch Bunch • Caring Friendship Club • CDL Club (Christians Demonstrating Love) • Cheerful Club • Ever-ready Club • FBC’s Best • Fifty Plus (50+) • Forever Young Club • Friendship Club • Fun Bunch • Fun-timers • Geri-Actives • Golden Saints • Golden Years Organization • Happy Timers • Hilltoppers • Jolly Elders/Good  Timers • Jolly Jack and Jills • JOY (Just Older Youth) • Keenagers • Leisure Time Group • LIFE (Living In Full Effectiveness) • Lifers • Live Embers/Wires • Love and Fellowship • Mature Moderns • Merry Makers • METS (Meet, Eat, Travel, Service) • Movers and Shakers • OASIS (Older Adults Sharing In Service) • O.K. Gang - Older Kids • Over 50 Club • OWLS (Older, Wiser,  Livelier Saints) • Pacesetters • PEP Council (People  Enjoying People) • Plaza Pilgrims • Plus—Praising and Loving our Seniors • Prime Timers • Recycled Teenagers • Retirees’ Club • Retirement Fellowship • ROAD—Revitalized Older • Roving Retirees • RPM (Retired Persons Ministry) • SALT (Senior Adults Living Triumphantly) • Sagers (Sage Agers) • Saints Alive • Seasoned Saints • Second Winders • Senior Challengers • Senior Friends • Seniors-on-the-Go • SHARP (Sincerely Happy Association of  Retired Persons) • Silver Angels/Sages • Sizzlin Seniors • The BC’s (Before Computers) • The Been There’s • The FBC Trekkers • The Go Go’s • The Happy Hearts • The Piddlers • The Ramblers • The Silverstones • The Speeders (over 55) • TNT (Tried n’ True) • VIP’s (Very Important  Persons) • Wise and Wonderful • Young At Heart • Zesty Zeniors ~ I'm not sure if these will be encouraging or depressing, but, for me, they just made me want to go take a nap. (To be fair, this list was compiled by the Texas Baptists and was presented as names you would NOT want to use for your seniors.) May God bless us all. Amen. ....More later.