Of Gold and Buckets

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TERESITA TANSECO-CRUZ

I am living the “ Golden Years,” and it is not what I imagined! I had long deemed that phrase a charitable euphemism for the time when one got old, wrinkled, sickly, ornery, or forgetful. But these years are not meant to be dismal after all!  Golden Persons, though probably no longer epitomizing “health is wealth,” possess a wealth of health information. They eagerly compare aches, pains, operations, and medications. They exchange humorous messages on aging, so the funny bone can momentarily clobber the arthritic ones. They comprise one big support group with their vibrant camaraderie as a moderator. However, they are at their awesome best when they hone life’s lessons into precious nuggets that illumine their days. They inspire their gratitude, love, wisdom, patience, gentleness, kindness, compassion, humility, and trust in God. They surrender to uncontrollable dictates of time and circumstances, including “You cannot tell your children anymore what to do” (sigh).

How to put such nuggets not on my bucket list, but inside my bucket, so I do not journey home on “empty”? I shall try, for the rest of my life, to “load up” from only one dwelling, where

…my ego keeps shriveling from lack of activity 

…stress does not progress because God has my back

…thanking God and conversing with him is as essential as breathing 

…a full heart is more important than a full schedule 

…I help deliver God’s love to others, with no exclusive clientele 

…I hang on to God’s merciful company through thick (temptation) and thin (resistance)

…I strive to wear God’s “It’s Me!” lenses, so I see Him in every person, creature, place, or happening

…I ask God to “take and receive” all that I have, including my (yikes!) indispensable eyebrow pencil.

Why that full, challenging bucket? “Do not harm” others; isn’t that enough? Maybe, but filling my bucket means doing more for others. It means reaching out to another traveler in need, just as other pilgrims continuously help me, a longtime struggling trekker! It means walking behind Christ, the ultimate example of doing one’s utmost for the sake of all others. Because I believe that together we – old, young, brothers and sisters all, are called upon to look out for and lead one another to the Almighty Father, who waits to embrace his children. 

So I pray to keep busy with my bucket in these golden years. The Lord has allowed me a glimpse into its starting contents, accompanied by the gift of inner freedom and a joyful, grateful, humbled heart. This time of one’s life has also been called “sunset,” which suggests a fading light. But with God, who is Light himself leading me, how can it be anything but a gorgeous, golden sunrise! 

9 COMMENTS

  4. Beautiful insight on growing gracefully to our Golden Years. As we savor our golden years, one becomes more sensitive to God’s presence in the ordinary even boring events of our lives. The challenge is how do we respond to Him and bring His presence to others. This article addressed this challenge during our golden years. Thank you for sharing.

  6. Hi baby. Beautifully written and expressed. Easier said than done. So we constantly need prayers to commune w God in between our worldly thoughts n actions.

  7. Beautiful reflection, Tita Baby. A rich perspective on “sunset years,” which instead of being a time to fear, is a time worth looking forward to.

  8. This article is worth sharing to all my colleagues in the same “bucket”. Thanks Baby! Well written.

  9. What an inspiring article po Tita Celia! 2 years from now, I will also be turning gold. Each time I age, I feel closer to God & I pray that my sunset will be filled with grace, joy, contentment, humility & peace with our Creator.

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