Grow Old With Me (Robert Browning)

Grow old with me!
The best is yet to be,
the last of life, for which the first was made.

(Anonymous)

The question is asked, "Is there anything more beautiful than in life than a boy and a girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?"

And the answer is given. "Yes, there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled, but still clasped; their faces are seamed, but still radiant, their hearts are physically bowed and tired, but still strong, with love and devotion for one another. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old love."

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I Can't Remember (Author Unknown)

Just a line to say I'm living
that I'm not among the dead.

Though I'm getting more forgetful
and mixed up in the head.

I got used to my arthritis
to my dentures I'm resigned.

I can manage my bifocals but,
God I miss my mind.

For sometimes I can't remember
when I stand at the foot of the stairs,

If I must go up for something
or have I just come down from there?

And before the fridge so often
my poor mind is filled with doubt.

Have I just put food away,
or have I come to take some out?

And there's time when it is dark
with my nightcap on my head.

I don't know if I'm retiring
or just getting out of bed.

So, if it's my turn to write you,
there's no need for getting sore.

I may think that I have written
and don't want to be a bore.

So, remember that I love you
and wish that you were near.

But now it's nearly mail time
so must say good-bye my dear.

There I stand beside the mail box
with a face so very red.

Instead of mailing you my letter,
I opened it instead.

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I Looked In The Mirror (Author Unknown)

I looked in the mirror yesterday, where have all the years gone?
When did I get so old and dry? Where have all my dreams gone?
Where did the young girl with the smile go, When did these lines find my face?
Where is the twinkle that was in my eye, Is that something you can misplace?
I was going to go to college, I ended up married instead.
Soon after I became a mother, My secret desires I hid.
The face that stared at me was aging, The skin not pretty and young.
When did all of this happen? I feel my life's just begun.
My children are older, they don't need me, at least not like in days gone by.
Maybe it's time to do something for me, Maybe I'll try to fly.
The mirror doesn't lie to us, It doesn't spare our feelings.
But that doesn't mean that things can't change, if we will just be willing.
I'll work real hard to reach my dreams, I'll see things through to the end.
And the next time I look in the mirror, Maybe I'll find a friend.

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I'm Fine (Author Unknown)

There is nothing whatever the matter with me
I'm just as healthy as I can be,
I have arthritis in both of my knees,
And when I talk, it is with a wheeze,
My pulse is weak, and my blood is thin,
But I am awfully well for the shape I'm in.

I think my liver is out of whack,
And I have this terrible pain in my back,
My hearing is poor, my sight is dim,
Most everything seems out of trim,
But I'm awfully fine for the shape I am in.

I have arch supports for both of my feet,
Or I would not be able to walk on the street,
Sleeplessness I have, night after night,
And in the morning I am just a sight,
My memory is failing, my head is in a spin,
I'm peacefully taking my daily aspirin
But I'm awfully well for the shape I am in.

The moral is, as this tale we unfold,
That for you and me who are growing old,
It's better to say, "I'm Fine," with a grin,
Then to let them know the shape we are in!

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I'm Just a Mother? (Author Unknown)

One day I found myself at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title, like "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar".

"And what is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in mid-air, and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---age 13, 7, and 3. And upstairs, I could hear our new experimental model (six months) in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt triumphant. I had scored a beat on bureaucracy. And I had gone down on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another..."

Home...what a glorious career. Especially when there's a title on the door.

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Imagine A Woman (Author Unknown)
from the Crone's Cradle Conserve Newsletter)

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good, she is a woman,
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who believes she is good.
A woman who trusts and respects herself.
Who listens to her needs and desires,
And meet them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged
the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past,
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender
Except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines her divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs her own spirituality
And allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates her body and its rhythms,
And cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the face of God/Goddess in her changing face.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use precious energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circle of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

IMAGINE YOURSELF AS THIS WOMAN.

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A Journey thru Change (FireFlii ©August 1998)

My body and spirit have both changed
As I journey into " The Croning Years"
The years where wisdom and courage...
Grow abundant.

The feel of my skin has changed,
But the way the sun feels
A warm and exhilarating presence...
Remains the same.

The feel of my Love's touch has changed,
Become familiar, but the feelings
I have for my Love have grown...
Deeper, stronger.

The way I see the world has changed
Become softer, brighter, a place I desire
To influence well, while I am...
Passing through.

The way I feel about Life has changed
Through the layers of my existence,
Has come hope, sorrow, joy, and pain...
Building me.

My wisdom and maturity have changed
Better understanding to deal with all
The myriad details that accompany...
Everyone's Life.

My hopes, dreams, and fears - all changed
Now I hope for the best tomorrow, fear what
May befall the ones I love, and dream of the...
Joining to come.

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Job Description (Author Unknown)

Position: Mom

Job Description:
Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work various hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

Responsibilities:
This is for the rest of your life.  Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.

Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices.

Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

Possibility For Advancement and Promotion:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly E-training and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

Previous Experience:
None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

Wages and Compensation:
You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.  When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

Benefits:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

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Little Old Lady (Author Unknown)

A little old lady went to the grocery store and put the most expensive cat food in her basket. She then went to the check out counter where she told the check out girl, "Nothing but the best for my little kitten.

"The girl at the cash register said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot sell you cat food without proof that you have a cat. A lot of old people buy cat food to eat, and the management wants proof that you are buying the cat food for your cat." The little old lady went home, picked up her cat and brought it back to the store.

One Cat

They sold her the cat food.

The next day, the old lady went to the store and bought 12 of the most expensive dog cookies - one for each day of Christmas. The cashier this time demanded proof that she now had a dog, claiming that old people sometimes eat dog food. Frustrated she went home, came back and brought in her dog.

One Doggie

She was then given the dog cookies.

The next day she brought in a box with a hole in the lid. The little old lady asked the cashier to stick her finger in the hole. The cashier said, "No, you might have a snake in there."

The little old lady assured her that there was nothing in the box that would bite her. So the cashier put her finger into the box and pulled it out and told the little old lady, "That smells like crap."

The little old lady grinned from ear to ear, "Now, my dear, can I please buy three rolls of toilet paper?"

MORAL: Never fool around with little old ladies!

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My Symphony (William H. Channing)

To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy, not rich;
to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;
to listen to stars and birds,
to babes and sages, with open heart;
to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely,
await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden
and unconscious, grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.

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