“And then it is Winter.”

Time has a way of moving quickly and catching us unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that we were young, just married and embarking on our new life with our mate.

Yet, it seems like eons ago. I wonder where all the years went. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. Still, here it is, the winter of my life that caught me by surprise. How did we get here so fast? Where did all the years go?

I remember seeing older people throughout the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me. The winter of my life seemed so far off that I couldn’t imagine fully what it would be like. Yet here it is. My friends are retired and getting grey. They move slower. Some are in better and some worse shape than I am. I see the great change. Their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we would be.

Each day now I find that doing a simple chore is a real target for the day! Taking a nap is not a treat anymore – it’s mandatory, cause if I don’t on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit!

So I enter this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

I also know that though the winter has come, I am not sure how long it will last. This I do know, that when it’s over on this earth, it’s not over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I had not done and things I should have done. Yet, I’m proud to have done many things. It’s all part of a lifetime. So, if you are not in your winter yet, let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your lifetime, please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!

Life goes by so quickly. Do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! There is no guarantee that you will see all the seasons of your life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

Life is a gift to us. The way we live our lives is our gift to those who come after us. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well! Enjoy today! Do something fun! Be happy always! Share your happiness! Remember: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

Consider the following:

“Our kids are becoming us.”

“Going out is good. Coming home is better!”

“We forget names but that’s okay, because some people forgot they even knew us.”

“We realize we will never be really good at some things, especially golf.”

“We sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called ‘pre-sleep.’”

“We tend to use more four letter words – what?, when?, what?”

“Now that we can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it.”

“We notice everything they sell in stores is sleeveless.”

“What used to be freckles are now liver spots.”

“We have three sizes of clothes in our closets, two of which we will never wear.”

“Old is good in some things: Old songs, old movies, and best of all, old friends!”

“It’s not what we gather, but what we scatter that tells what kind of life we have lived.”

Author unknown