Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Twilight Years of Life (07/02/09)
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TITLE: 68 Summers | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ed VanDeMark
07/07/09 -
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Forty three years ago Aunt Joyce told me she was going to her 20th high school class reunion. “Man she must be ancient,” ran through my mind. Next month I’m scheduled to attend my 50th high school reunion. Unless I miss my guess I’m no longer middle aged.
If I remember correctly Neil Armstrong is ten or eleven years older than me. When he made his one giant step for mankind trip to the moon I mused “Must be NASA couldn’t find anyone who isn’t at deaths door who’s willing to make the flight.” I was in the Navy when he blasted off on my 28th birthday. We met some British girls in Valetta, Malta they insisted on calling it “America’s moon.”
I told my mother “One generation older than me isn’t old because I know how fast I grew into the next generation.” She told me “One generation older than me is dead.” Mom died in October of 1997. I guess that means St. Peter is setting up appointments for my generation…but how can that be, I remember the 1949 State Fair like it was yesterday. 1955 was one of many exceptional years for pranks. We tipped over the outhouse near the swimming hole in the creek. We didn’t stick around to see the man inside crawl through the hole, even though we knew that’s what he’d have to do because we made sure it came to rest on the door. I got my drivers license in January of 1958. I remember driving the long way to town, because we lived at the crest of a small hill and I hadn’t mastered the clutch in Dad’s 1947 Studebaker pickup. Down hill didn’t embarrass me the same way uphill did, and with my girl friend living next door I was particularly sensitive to being embarrassed.
I graduated from college in 1963, and began my ill fated career as an Art Teacher in the fall. I hated my job. I dreaded Sunday’s because Monday always followed Sunday and Sunday felt contaminated by its proximity to Monday. I resigned this draft deferred position and joined the Navy. We had a small war going on in south-east Asia at the time. The potential of being used for target practice look more attractive than being here at 9:07, there at 9:54, and some place else at 10:32 day in and day out for the next thirty years.
I met my wife in 1971, we got married in May of 1974, and I adopted her son just before Christmas. While we were on our honeymoon I found out my employer lost the federally funded program that paid my salary. What seemed like a disaster at the time turned out be the beginning of my 34 plus year career. Our daughter was born in July 1975, and our son in July 1977. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior in 1976. Church suddenly took on new significance. The Holy Spirit was rather insistent in those years. He directed me to give up alcohol. I argued that I only consumed a single case of beer annually. I lost that argument. He told me to give up bowling. I argued that there was nothing wrong with bowling and he said it was a false God to me and he is a jealous God. I discovered a green God is a formidable force I wasn’t prepared to challenge. He told me to visit Steve in a maximum security prison, and I dragged my feet for weeks but in the end he was right once again.
My wife, Linda was downsized in 1994 and we discovered that the newspaper was a luxury we didn’t have to have and Linda became my barber. Our oldest grandchild was born in 1999 now we are blessed with eight. In 2001 I was forced to retire but I was permitted to continue my career as a part time employee. I quit working this past April and entered full time retirement.
For me old age isn’t made up of years. The years often become blurred, 1968 seems little different from 1986. Did it happen in 1977 or was it 1981. Now what year did grandma die? I really don’t remember but I can still see her face. For me old age is a rich blend of people, places, events, experiences, memories, both good and bad lessons learned, one great marriage, two wrecked cars, arthritis, and God’s promise of eternal life.
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