Winter of My Life

 

        You know...

        Time has a way of moving quickly

        And catching you unaware of the passing years.

        It seems just yesterday that I was young,

         I had just graduated from High School and said Goodby to my classmates,

         And the next thing you know I was married and embarking on my new life with my

         mate.

 

        And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,

        And I wonder where all the years went.

        I know that I lived them all...

        And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes

        and dreams...

 

        But, here it is...

        The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...

        How did I get here so fast?

        Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

        I remember well...

        Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those

        Older people were years away from me and that winter was

        so far off

        That I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be

        like...

 

        But, here it is...

        My classmates and friends are retired and getting grey...

        They move slower and I see an older person now.

        Some are in better and some worse shape than me...

        And some have already gone....

        But, I see the great change in the ones still here...

        And some I don't even recognize...

        Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...

        

But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those

        Older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

 

        Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target

        for the day!

        And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!

        'Cause if I don't on my own free will...

        I just fall asleep where I sit!

        And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared

        For all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability

        To go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!

 

        Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...

        Things I should have done, but indeed,

        There are many things I'm happy to have done.

        It's all in a lifetime...

 

        So, if you're not in your winter yet...

        Let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.

        Whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it

        quickly!

        Don't put things off too long!!

        Life goes by quickly.

 

        So, do what you can today,

        As you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

        You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your

        life...

 

        So, live for today and say all the things you want your loved ones

        to remember...

        And hope they appreciate and love you for all the things

        You have done for them in all the years past!!

 

        Life is a gift to you.

        The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.

        Make it a fantastic one.

 

        ~ And, Remember ~

 

           

        "It is the love you have for yourself and for

          others that is real wealth.....

 

        And not pieces of gold or silver."