Blog

The Joys of Aging
Monday, December 30, 2019 by Cindy Sproles

Courtesy of microsoft free gallery 2008It’s normal to hear negative phrases about aging. Aching bones, slipping memory, stubbornness. After all, it is aging. Our bodies begin to tell us it’s time to ease out of the busyness of life and relax. Slow down.

Of course, aging is difficult. Who wants to admit they are entering their golden years? And it never seems to slowly approach. It happens overnight. One minute we’re racing about with our grandchildren, the next the race seems to have dissipated. Aging, despite the fact we know it will happen, is a shock.

When you are the child of an aging parent, reality may seep in when you suddenly notice the difficulty of your parent standing from a sitting position or when you finally take notice of the wrinkled skin on their hands. We’ve been so accustomed to having active parents, especially with our children, that seeing that large energy shrink, is hard. The transition from an active parent to one who requires a bit of assistance takes some adjustment.

Aging is simply part of the circle of life and it’s not to be taken lightly. Many senior parents now require additional help. Maybe it’s assistance with household chores or more so, assistance with the daily activities we take for granted. Things like dressing, brushing our hair or teeth, putting on our shoes. Either way, our mindset must change. The changes can be an inconvenience, but it’s important not to let the negative take away the joy of our parents.

It’s no secret that some issues with aging cause our loved ones distress. Things like Alzheimer’s or different dementias. There are times, these hiccups take the person we love and twist them into someone we’ve never met. This is the time when joy is important.

Learning to find the good in every situation is not only scriptural, but it’s the perfect way to handle our lives. How do we find joy in something like Alzheimer’s? Grant you, it’s difficult, but again, it has to be a mindset.photo courtesy of microsoft free gallery 2008

Take time to recount the moments that brought laughter and fun into your family with your aging parent. Spend time chatting about those things. Even more so, include your loved one in on those conversations. Sometimes, a memory is sparked, a moment of peace may seep over your parent. When parent’s thoughts stream to a spouse or parent who passed years prior, that is fine. Use those memories to start conversation with your loved one. Ask questions about that person or the time frame your parent may be recounting. Don’t spend valuable time trying to convince your aging parent that the person they are speaking about, passed away years earlier. Their mind is in what is present to them at the time. Instead, roll with the flow. You may be surprised at what you learn about the past of your parent.

The point is, there are fun things. . .things that brought you and your parent laughter and pleasure in the past. Search for the joy in those things and bring them to light. Doing this not only revives little memories for your parent but it sparks a whole new set of conversations with your siblings and children. For example, my grandmother passed away over 25 years ago. To this day, when any of the family gathers, the same old stories are spit out over and over. Laughter rings through the house and the hard parts of grandmother’s illness are swallowed up by the joys of her life. There is never sadness, instead, our homes and lives are enriched continually those wonderful memories.

When aging grows difficult for your family, stop. Rethink. Seek. Find the joy that brought laughter and happiness from years prior. Those memories will once again bring a new joy to the hardships of aging.   

 

Photo courtesy of Microsoft free gallery 2008

Share This Blog:


Comments

Jane A Duquette From FL At 12/31/2019 9:59:19 AM

Thank you for this reminder about caring for older parents. My mama passed in 2015, and I never regret any moments I spent caring for her as her memory slipped, as body failed. Thank you, Lord, for her life, and for the assurance I will see her sweet face again.

Mountain Breeze Writer


Previous Posts

Allergic to Exercise
Cindy Sproles

10/18/2024

Rose By Any Other Name...
Cindy Sproles

10/15/2024

Never Look Back
Cindy Sproles

8/2/2024

Words Have Power
Cindy Sproles

7/12/2024

Those Hallmark Holidays
Cindy Sproles

5/12/2024

Deep and Wide or Sick and Tired?
Cindy Sproles

12/18/2023

What Would Jesus Do?
Cindy Sproles

11/10/2023

Chick, Chick, Chick
Cindy K. Sproles

9/30/2023

In My Inperfections
Cindy K. Sproles

8/27/2023

By the Hair of my Chinny, Chin, Chin
Cindy Sproles

7/21/2023

What Dumb Cluck!
Cindy K. Sproles

6/29/2023

Where to Draw the Line?
Cindy Sproles

4/27/2023

Submit! ME?
Cindy Sproles

4/14/2023

Why Are People So Mean?
Cindy Sproles

3/30/2023

I'm Getting Old
Cindy K. Sproles

3/3/2023

To Hear or Not to Hear
Cindy Sproles

1/28/2023

Happy New Year, Happy New Year News
Cindy Sproles

1/9/2023

Happy Neuter Year
Cindy Sproles

12/31/2022

Facing Reality - Aging Parents, Aging Children
Cindy Sproles

12/30/2022

Word of the Year for 2023
Cindy Sproles

12/24/2022

My Grown Up Christmas List - Three Things to Adulting the Right Way
Cindy Sproles

12/13/2022

Weebles Wobble but They Don't Fall Down
Cindy Sproles

12/6/2022

The Man In the Middle
Cindy Sproles

11/24/2022

Diversity is More Than Color
Cindy K. Sproles

11/14/2022

Love in Motion
Cindy Sproles

11/7/2022

Deadbeat or Deadline
Cindy Sproles

10/31/2022

Backstory - The Reader Doesn't Care!
Cindy Sproles

10/18/2022

The Color of Scared - The Final in Seeking Spiritual Renewal
Cindy Sproles

10/14/2022

The Color of Scared - Second of Three in Seeking Spiritual Freedom from Fear
Cindy Sproles

10/9/2022

The Color of Scared - First of Three in Seeking Spiritual Freedom from Fear
Cindy Sproles

10/3/2022

Fog, Mist, Morning
Cindy Sproles

9/29/2022

From a Rooster to a Hen
Cindy Sproles

9/24/2022

Writing from the Hip
Cindy Sproles

9/19/2022

Soggy Scrubby and the Long Goodbye
Cindy Sproles

9/13/2022

Wramping Up for ACWC
Cindy Sproles

9/10/2022

Rest Not, Want MORE!
Cindy Sproles

9/3/2022

Reality for Me
Cindy Sproles

8/17/2022

The Truth in Publishing
Cindy Sproles

8/11/2022

Beyond
Cindy Sproles

8/4/2022

Working with an Editor
Cindy Sproles

7/7/2022

Two on the Way
Cindy Sproles

2/26/2022

The Party's Overrrrr!
Cindy Sproles

2/22/2022

2022 Encouragement for the Writer
Cindy Sproles

1/4/2022

Every Day is New
Cindy Sproles

1/1/2022

Beginning Anew (An Eldercare Note)
Cindy Sproles

12/31/2021

Five Ways to Kill Your Publishing Opportunity
Cindy Sproles

12/30/2021

A Dollar Wisely Spent
Cindy Sproles

12/28/2021

Silent Night
Cindy Sproles

12/25/2021

Back Pocket Projects
Cindy Sproles

12/21/2021

Things are Back on Track - I think!
Cindy Sproles

12/18/2021

Wonky is Hard
Cindy Sproles

4/25/2021

Present Yourself Approved and Professional
Cindy Sproles

1/28/2021

Integrity - An Authors Valued Trait
Cindy Sproles

1/8/2021

Homonyms – Did You Sea/See Them Their/There?
Cindy Sproles

1/8/2021

Writer Self-Care - Welcome 2021
Cindy Sproles

1/4/2021

Hope in a New Year
Cindy Sproles

1/1/2021

One More Christmas Thought - Taken from ChristianDevotions.US blog
Cindy Sproles

12/25/2020

A Christmas Saga - Joy in the Season
Cindy Sproles

12/24/2020

When Writing Grows Hard
Cindy Sproles

12/22/2020

Permission to Quit - No Way
Cindy Sproles

12/18/2020

The Power of the Pen
Cindy Sproles

12/15/2020

The Good, The Bad, and the Memoir
Cindy Sproles

12/11/2020

The Immeasurable Power in You
Cindy Sproles

12/8/2020

Scratch It Till It Bleeds
Cindy Sproles

12/5/2020

Closing Up Shop - Renting or Selling Our Parent's Home
Cindy Sproles

9/5/2020

Humility in Writing
Cindy Sproles

7/7/2020

Let it Percolate
Cindy Sproles

7/3/2020

Mentoring - A Wise Choice
Cindy Sproles

6/29/2020

Divorce My Words?
Cindy Sproles

6/23/2020

Icy Self-Talk Will Freeze Your Writing
Cindy Sproles

6/19/2020

The Power in You
Cindy Sproles

6/16/2020

Waiting
Cindy Sproles

6/12/2020

Who Really Sells Your Books
Cindy Sproles

6/9/2020

Social Media When You Aren't Social Media Minded
Cindy Sproles

4/20/2020

What Really Is Important
Cindy Sproles

4/12/2020

In the Midst of Chaos
Cindy Sproles

3/17/2020

The Heart of God
Cindy Sproles

2/14/2020

Writing in a Pickle
Cindy Sproles

1/30/2020

The Adult Day Care Alternative
Cindy Sproles

1/23/2020

Social Media Blitz
Cindy Sproles

1/19/2020

The Joys of Aging
Cindy Sproles

12/30/2019

The Reality of Who We Are?
Cindy Sproles

12/22/2019

Publishing Trends
Cindy Sproles

11/30/2019

Be Thankful ANYWAY
Cindy Sproles

11/28/2019

Writing Your Mission Statement
Cindy Sproles

11/19/2019

Perseverance to Write
Cindy

11/16/2019

Common Sense Tips for When You Write
Cindy Sproles

11/9/2019

The Battle is Fought
Cindy

10/15/2019

Twelve Tidbits of Wisdom from Top Christian Writers
Cindy Sproles

10/5/2019

Pray with Fire
Cindy Sproles

10/3/2019

The Easy In
Cindy Sproles

9/24/2019

The Art of Self-Editing
Cindy Sproles

9/10/2019

Questions, Questions
Cindy Sproles

9/6/2019

15-Minute Appointments - Important Networking
Cindy Sproles

9/3/2019

Don't Close Your Eyes - Bob Hostetler
Cindy Sproles

2/5/2019

Love Your Faculty
Cindy Sproles

10/17/2018

Forging Ahead after Rejection
Cindy Sproles

7/17/2018

cindysproles.com Privacy Policy
Cindy Sproles

6/4/2018

Closing Up Shop - Guiding Seniors to Letting Go
Cindy Sproles

4/9/2018

Publishing Naysayers
Cindy Sproles

3/16/2018

In Prayer - I Write
Cindy Sproles

3/3/2018

Keep Them Reading
Cindy Sproles

1/12/2018

Encouraged - Even When . . .
Cindy Sproles

1/2/2018

Christmas Tears
Cindy Sproles

12/18/2017

Holiday Elder Care - Be an Elder Elf
Cindy Sproles

11/12/2017

Grateful for a Dream I Didn't Know I Had
Cindy Sproles

11/9/2017

Keep Them Reading
Cindy Sproles

11/1/2017

Chicken Soup for the Soul - Writer Call Out
Cindy Sproles

10/27/2017

Five Ways to Assure Your Work will Find the Slush Pile
Cindy Sproles

10/24/2017

23rd Psalm Revisited
Cindy Sproles

10/21/2017

Contentment in Writing
Cindy Sproles

10/19/2017

5 Common Sense Tips to Better Writing
Cindy Sproles

10/10/2017

Overshadowed
Cindy Sproles

8/21/2017

Chicken Soup for the Soul Callout - Stories about Love
Cindy Sproles

8/21/2017

Five Keys to Overcoming Rejection
Cindy Sproles

8/12/2017

Writing Call Out - Chicken Soup for the Soul
Cindy Sproles

8/10/2017

When Words of Encouragement Wane
Cindy Sproles

6/28/2017

Writing Truth with Love
Cindy Sproles

1/13/2017

Oh To Be A Writer
Cindy Sproles

1/4/2017

Why Write?
Cindy Sproles

1/1/2017

Scammed
Cindy Sproles

6/21/2016

The Pain of Unsolicited
Cindy Sproles

3/9/2016

Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage
Cindy Sproles

11/21/2015

Thankful Despite . . .
Cindy Sproles

11/20/2015

Stepping Up to Na-No-Wri-Mo
Cindy Sproles

11/16/2015

The Gift of No Gifts
Cindy Sproles

11/2/2015

Writers Be Encouraged
Cindy Sproles

10/15/2015

Keep ‘Em Reading – It’s the Writer’s Responsibility
Cindy Sproles

8/13/2015

Saying Goodbye
Cindy Sproles

7/17/2015

Overcoming the Fear of Writing Failure
Cindy Sproles

7/8/2015

Making the Move – Home to Assisted Living
Cindy Sproles

6/17/2015

I Kid You Not
Cindy Sproles

6/6/2015

Hearing the Call to Foster – Renee McCausey
Cindy Sproles

1/13/2015

Throw Out the Crutches
Cindy Sproles

1/10/2015

So You Were Asked to Be A Beta Reader?
Cindy Sproles

1/10/2015

REJECTIONS – Aaughhh!
Cindy Sproles

1/5/2015

The Bachelor – Stephanie Reed
Cindy Sproles

12/14/2014

The Making of a Servant
Cindy Sproles

11/30/2014

Miracle in a Dry Season Review – Yvonne Lehman
Cindy Sproles

8/27/2014

Write Anyway
Cindy Sproles

8/26/2014

World Blog Tour – Catching Up with Cindy Sproles
Cindy Sproles

7/22/2014

The Progression of Life
Cindy Sproles

7/17/2014

Instrumental Writing Helps – Aaron Gansky
Cindy Sproles

7/4/2014

The Question Saga
Cindy Sproles

6/29/2014

Defy the Night – REVIEW
Cindy Sproles

4/28/2014

When the Work is Hard to Do
Cindy Sproles

4/1/2014

My Heart Belongs to Him
Cindy Sproles

2/14/2014

Review of The Vicar’s Wife
Cindy Sproles

2/2/2014

The In on Self Publishing – Part 2
Cindy Sproles

12/29/2013

The In on Self Publishing – Part 1
Cindy Sproles

12/26/2013

In a Pickle
Cindy Sproles

10/1/2013

Bigger and Better
Cindy Sproles

9/27/2013

Putting SOCIAL back in Media
Cindy Sproles

8/10/2013

After the Conference Ends…
Cindy Sproles

8/8/2013

Here a Tweak, There a Tweak, Everywhere a Tweak, Tweak
Cindy Sproles

8/2/2013

Can You Hear Me Now?
Cindy Sproles

7/23/2013

Golden Years, Cherished Moments
Cindy Sproles

3/20/2013

Broken Heart Syndrome
Cindy Sproles

9/26/2012

What About Our Elders
Cindy Sproles

8/24/2012

A Minute – A Lifetime
Cindy Sproles

8/10/2012

Water, Water – Who’s Got the Water
Cindy Sproles

7/31/2012