“You know you're getting old when Santa starts looking younger.” ~ Robert Paul, Writer

Okay. It's Wednesday, September 17, 2025, and, I'm just back from an early morning computed tomography (CT) scan of my chest. On average people old enough to be on Medicare spend nearly 21 days per year dealing with their medical needs. That's nearly one month! The radiologist has already read the scan and I saw the report online. Now, I await the official response from the doctor who ordered the scan, the pulmonologist. No doubt a good portion of those 21 days is used up waiting. Essentially, my chest scan is unchanged. This means the stuff that is questionable hasn't changed which is a good thing I think. I base this on the fact that we were doing scans every six months but the radiologist now recommends it not be done again for one year. I thank God. That report does go into a lot of detail about what they can see on the scan. The purpose of the scan was focused on particular nodules and their development or lack thereof, however, it's like this: On our way to looking at the chest stuff we did a little walk through the anatomy index of this 79 year plus individual. Their tour included observation of the kidneys, the liver, the stomach, the throat, and, many other hard to pronounce items of interest. I'm not surprised to learn how they can see in their fly over that I have a lot of calcification of my arteries. This is to be expected in older people, however, it can be a signal of potential heart related issues further down the road. Back in the mid 1960s when I worked for the Veterans Administration in their hospital located in Pineville, Louisiana, nearly every older veteran was written up for having one form or another of arteriosclerosis which includes the hardening of the arteries around the heart. All of this means that this Santa needs to be working on getting ready to get ready. To that I will add the popular meme IYKYK. (Okay, for those who wonder, it means this: If you know, you know.)

 

I also had blood work done earlier in the week. My primary care is keeping a close watch on several of the markers that pertain to my diabetic condition. All of this medical stuff makes it clear that given my age it's clear I am headed in the direction of the exit door and that should not be a surprise. When King David was on his death bed he said these words, "I am about to go the way of all the earth." (1st Kings 2:2)  He was seventy years young but his words were a euphemism for him knowing he would soon die. It's a quite natural process and for those of us blessed to have been given an extended time here on the planet, well, we know better than anyone the reality of this getting ready to go. I am currently working on the lesson for the upcoming lifegroup class from John Chapter 11 where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He called Lazarus back to life and he came forth from that tomb. What a stunning miracle from the One who is the Resurrection and the Life! Lazarus was dead but he became alive again. Yet, he picked up his living fully aware that he would again die at sometime in the future. This raising up of the dead man foreshadows our guaranteed eternal state: 1st Thessalonians 4: 16) "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17) Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." (from the Legacy Standard Bible) This means the aches and pains, the age related challenges we face, they all are moving us closer to our destiny and while they may bury or burn our bodies here, we will live forever and ever with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Now that should encourage us all. If not, I'm sorry, I don't know how to help you. Amen and Amen.