Looking For Old Treasures

“C’mon Ma you have got to try it” I pleaded to my elderly Mother. I don’t know how my Mother lasted this long without ever using the internet, but enough was enough! I thought.

“Ok” she said reluctantly settling down by the computer and slowly putting on her reading glasses “what do I do now?”

“Now I’m going to open the home page of Google”, I explained. “OK here it is! Now type in ANY question you want into the bar over here and you will find an answer to your question.” I confidently assured her.

My Mother looked at me warily, thought for a second, and slowly began to type,

How is Gertrude doing this morning?”

(Courtesy of: www.greatcleanjokes.com)

The elderly are a blessing to be around. However, how many of us realize and appreciate this fact? We sometimes think of them as the stone-age folks who don’t know much about the internet, what’s trending or going viral. They may be seen as an obstacle in the way of relationships, jobs, partying, and just the happy-life in general. As a result, it can be easy for them to be under appreciated and overlooked.

When You Look at Senior Citizens, What Do You See?
Do you just see an old person? Someone frail, incapable, senile, dependent, and burdensome? When this happens, the elderly feel ignored and forgotten. And sometimes rightly so, since they often get dropped off at nursing homes with no future visits or calls. When they get the privilege of staying at home, they may get the care they need but not the attention they crave. This leaves the elderly feeling alone, which may lead to depression. We fail to understand that they strive on conversations, whether about our lives or retelling theirs.

What You Don’t See
When it comes to senior citizen, what’s often ignored is the person they once were… the contributions they’ve made… the persons they’ve made us into, through our parents… the chain reaction of change they’ve started. These elderly men and women were soldiers who once helped to win wars, nurses who helped those soldiers and our great grandparents, writers who wrote legendary books and movies, artists who created pictures, painting, and songs that are still. There are even senior citizens still contributing today, they mentor youths, read to children at libraries, teach cooking or sewing classes among other things.

When you look at the elderly, you should see pioneers who have volunteered, served, and sacrificed for centuries. You should see hardworking trendsetters who have demonstrated how to be productive responsible citizens. They are courageous, wise, resilient, strong, inspirational, valuable… treasures to be cherished. These “Old People” assisted with the writing of history, and that’s why who they once were weighs heavily on who we are today. We ought to be grateful.

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man…” (Leviticus 19:32)

How do you see the elderly? Are they a burden or a blessing?