Glad to be Old

"When I'm sad, He makes me glad
He's my Friend."

At the beach the wind blew from the NE at 30 knots; Ellie and her (surrogate) grandchildren ran out into the water eagerly, cavorting with great zest in the waves.

I set up my chair behind a wall running east and west; it offered good protection against the wind. With great content I watched Ellie and the children, reflecting that in former times I had enjoyed that as much as they were. Two beaches came especially to mind: at Pensacola where the brilliant sun shone on the navy blue waves, driven inland by the strong southern breeze; and at Bahia (in the sou. hemi) where conditions were much the same.

Sitting now with good protection from the gale the question came into mind, 'do you miss it?' not in the least!
Been there! done that! You know what? it's really great right here.

My cousin Carrie, friend and companion of my father in childhood days at Clayton, loved life and was sharp as a tack at 92; she was also likely to doze off at any minute. Ellie reminded me that our great friend Miriam, probably our favorite saint, once dropped off in the middle of a sentence. Ah! what liberty!

" For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." And I'll tell you something friends, the inward man beats the outward man all hollow.