Taking inventory was one of the regular tasks that the employees of a small town grocery store were expected to do. Back in the 50′s, as a teenager earning 50 cents an hour, working in a grocery store was one of the better part time jobs available. Usually scheduled on a Sunday morning, after a late Saturday night readying the store for its next open day, inventory required the arduous counting and recording of all the merchandise in the store.

There was no heavy lifting, such as stocking the shelves required. There was only the tedious and sometimes dirty job of counting every single can or bottle in the store. It was necessary for the store. It was important to the corporation. And it was done under the eye of management.

One wonders if a year that begins with a month that has a Friday the 13th can really be a good omen. We were met with just such a circumstance last week. One is pressed to admit that 2011 didn’t turn out feeling all that great. It was the year of a downhill slide for many in the American cultural milieu.

Unemployment, reduced incomes, challenges to the safety net, radical assertions of what may be next in removing security from the social makeup of our nation, more sliding into poverty and homelessness, severe challenges to the educational systems, concern over health care and its availability, more persons relying on food banks, fear over impending loss of jobs, the spectre of the rich getting richer and the poor staying that way are the ingredients that leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.

Sometimes we find poems better able to communicate than prose. The following one might be categorized as such. The message is an important one for us seniors to consider: Which side of this picture would I find myself?

SURPRISE IN HEAVEN!

I dreamt death came the other night,

And Heaven’s gates swung wide.

It was not the most celebratory of holidays. It was fraught with bad news moments when telephone calls and emails notified us of the death or impending passing of a friend or a loved one. It almost seemed epidemic. Following on the contact came the necessary task of putting travel arrangements together, notifying others, packing and making ready for a strenuous journey which would involve about 12 hours. At such times, there is no excuse giving, backing out, or pleading helplessness. Being there with those you care deeply for and about is the only mandate to be accepted.

As I traveled several hundred miles to be present for the memorial service of my father-in-law, I was mindful of others who had died in the last few days: A member of a congregation I had served, a friend who had undergone a long and lingering fight with cancer, a friend who had lost her husband. It was not a happy time. It was a time for grief, a moment

We were returning from a trip to town, when in the driveway of our nearest neighbor we spied a short, very filthy, hair heavily matted Lhasa Apso. He was obviously lost or abandoned, very frightened and confused. We swept him up, put him in our car and took him home, fleas and all. Because of the heavy rain and cold weather of the last few days, it was clear he was frightened, threatened and ready for rescue.

At home, with the help of a dear friend, he was soon bathed, some of his hair cut, and an appointment made for grooming. Now Isaiah (Izzy), he is back at home this afternoon, quietly savoring the contentment of safety, a full water and food bowl and the attention of his new parents and his brother pets. His matted coat is gone and a peaceful spirit has surfaced. It was as if, when his heavy coat was finally gone, he was free to be himself–delightfully loving and

Tell someone everyday that you love them. Don’t wait for some external provocation. Initiate it yourself. Be generous in your exclamations. Be thoughtful in your generous sharing of love. You and whomever you share this experience with will be enriched by it. Even if you don’t receive feedback right away, don’t give up. Keep this as your top priority all year long.

Communicate with the people in your life who have been and continue to be special and important to you. When this year ends, don’t end it with regrets. Choose those whom you know will be moved by your remembering them. If they don’t reciprocate, that’s okay. It is your move that counts.

Already the new year is underway. In our second week now, routine is settling in. Tasks and duties are taking on that old familiar feeling. It doesn’t even seem as if a major change has taken place. We just slipped out of one year into another, literally overnight.

Now, here we are in that time when one year is being forgotten and another taken for granted. At the end of last year, 2011, we said goodbye to several friends and a loved one within the course of a few days. They will be spoken of next year with all the memories and joys we drew from them.

The very first day of the year was spent on an airplane and in airports. We were grateful to arrive home safely. Especially

Thumbing through a variety of materials over the weekend, I came across this lighthearted story from the pen of Leslie Weatherhead. It is a story that may prove useful to share with your grandchildren, as they go about the task of growing up.

“At school,” he says, “I sat next to a boy whom I envied with all my soul. He was so very lucky. His father was so very kind, and my father was apparently so hard and unjust. The boy lived in the country. If it was a lovely day, he would be allowed to go haymaking, instead of coming to school. He could go fishing or do what he liked. And when examinations came, he just stayed away again. My cruel, unjust and heartless father demanded that I should not only go to school every day, but even when examinations were on.

Today’s collection has been accumulated over the past several years from various sources. Perhaps you have read some of them before. Maybe you will get another smile from them today. They have been put together under the title:
Things I have learned while growing older:

There is always a lot to be thankful for. For example, I’m sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt.

Families are like fudge, mostly sweet, with a few nuts.

Millions of seniors across the country are taking part in a ‘conversation’ about the need to keep Social Security strong for our generation and for those who follow us. The conversation is sponsored by AARP, and to date, that organization reports it has over six million signatures on a petition to Congress to leave Social Security alone. Six million and growing…

A recent article published online said, “For more than 50 years, AARP has been fighting to protect and strengthen Social Security. Now, we’re launching a conversation about how to strengthen it so future generations will receive the benefits they’ve earned when they’re ready to retire. With shrinking pensions, dwindling savings and longer life expectancies, we know that future generations will depend on Social Security even more.”