05.29.2026 | Ordinary Friday

​IT’S GOOD TO BE OLD
 
One of the many gifts of retired life is rediscovering old hobbies. On a cloudy or rainy day, one of our favorite things to do is wander through an antique shop. We stroll past the “antiques” and laugh because we remember using half of them, the cookware, the furniture, the gadgets that once felt so modern. We think of our grandparents and parents. We think of the ones no longer with us. And we smile.
 
I like old things. I really do. And I like being old. I know that’s not fashionable these days. I’ve heard plenty of folks insist that calling someone old is ageist. Well, I’m old. I like being old. As Mark Twain would say, “It sure beats the alternative.”
 
This season of life is rich and full, busy in the best possible way. I have the time and energy to help others. To tend my garden. To be present for my family and my wonderful chosen family. I finally have the gift of time to give, something I never had when I was working 80 hour weeks.
 
It’s good to be old. I truly believe age is not something to pity or apologize for. And it certainly isn’t something to fear. We older folks have the power to make this stage of life vibrant, fun, and bright. We must, otherwise we waste a full quarter of our lives or more.
 
I think about the Psalm: “O taste and see that our God is sweet.” This is the time of sweetness. The time when the days feel slower, deeper, more generous.
 
It’s good to be old. It feels like stepping into the quiet, green heart of Ordinary Time, where the ancient blessings still breathe.
 
May the sweetness of these days linger.