Caution: It's not the mirror that adds all those years to your image.

It's Wednesday, March 29, 2017, and I send out a hearty hello to everyone joining today's episode. I think we all have, at one time or another, had that cold water in the face wake up call during our sojourn here on the planet. It is a part of life, especially as you get up there in years. My wife will soon be 70 years young. While that seems impossible, I can truly say that she carries her years as well as anyone I know. She continues to be a beautiful woman. The other day someone put a posting up on Facebook. It had some people in a photo. One of the people in that photo was a lady that I had a crush on as a freshman in high school. I had to check closely to make sure that was the girl that used to cause my knees to wobble. I suppose I had the image of her putting her books away stuck in my mind. I last saw this lady in 1978 at the visitation to honor my baby sister who had passed away. Even in 1978, she had changed a lot from what I remember in 1961, but, fast forward to 2017, and how she looks today was hard for me to take in. I'm not knocking her. It's the reality of life, however, it did take me a few seconds to realize this is what the aging process does. Let me make it a little more clear. When I saw that picture my first thought was that she reminded me of my grandmother. And, with the same breath, I have to know that someone might be saying the same about me. Whatever happened to that boy? He looks like my grandfather. Or, better yet, if I didn't know better I would think he has become Santa Claus. As the old comedian used to say, "I resemble that remark."

I do have before and after photos but I wouldn't even think of sharing them. Not even with the disclaimer that said the names have been changed to protect the innocent. My beard, now white naturally, covers up a lot of wear and tear, along with the ravages of having made it to my present age. Then we have the fantasy versus reality issue. People buy a new dress or a new suit and when they wear them they have a mental view of how it makes them look. How we think we look doesn't always square with how we actually look. A number of years ago they came out with a mirror that was expensive but it used technology to show someone a realistic view of themselves. It made a big splash but I don't hear much about them anymore. Maybe we don't want to have a more realistic view of our appearance. I worked with a fellow once that had achieved a fairly high position, but, he had trouble speaking in front of audiences. Our Company bought out another smaller firm and we had to fly to their headquarters and speak to the staff there. He represented our technology group. He told me that he had bought a new suit because it was one of the only things that helped prepare himself to speak. I'm not being cruel here but the suit didn't help him at all. He could have saved the $500 and done the same lousy job. The good news is that God doesn't judge us based on what we look like, He loves each of us in the frame that we have. He proved His love by sending His Son to die on our behalf. We don't need to figure out ways to pump up our self-esteem, we need to learn how to live out a life reflecting our esteemed identity in Christ. I know. A little preachy at the end, but, that's how it came out.

All of that from the photo of an aging lady posted on Facebook? I suppose I am in good company since I might be reflecting the great insights given by Vice President Dan Quayle, "What a terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all. How true that is." My wife is out of town. She is over in Louisiana helping to care for my mom. (Maybe part of her beauty is found in her servant's heart.) You may know that old adage, "When the wife is away all bets are off." You never heard that one? I'm not sure I have either, but, her being gone might help to explain my scrambled prose of late. Don't blame it on her? I tell you all the time, this is a tough audience. I suppose I should be glad I'm not close enough to get all that fruit thrown at me. Just joking. I had better quit before I get even further behind. I do hope you will have yourself a great rest of today. May God bless us all is my prayer. Amen. ....More later.