‘Is growing older a challenge for you? Fraught with loss? Consider this: God gives us our years as a gift. God invites us into a new life rich with meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. These are the capstone years when a whole new life is in the making again.’
Many of us struggle with aging, whether it be the ever increasing lines and grey hairs we see in our physical appearance or in our diminishing strength. Talking with elders reveals the same story over and over again, that often in mind they feel as if they could leap out of bed and take on anything when in truth it can take many minutes of stretching just to stand. And there is the painful fact of loss to consider, just when we are feeling the need for our family the most in our golden years we are often faced with losing those with have grown up with along the way.
What we must remember though is every day, every year, every minute on this earth is a gift from God, and he wants us to be good, Godly, and happy, and enjoy the gift of life as it extends in our older years. Age isn’t a barrier, the elders among us are so important as teachers, advisers and kupuna.
With all that in mind ReSource for Christian Spirituality will be holding a workshop series called The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully, based on the book of the same name by Joan Chittister. The workshop will meet on Saturday mornings from 9:00 am till 10:30 am at the Goodale Conference Room of St. Michaels in Lihue. To find out more click here to be taken to the Church’s website.
