Honoring Our Senior Citizens

There’s a large group of people in our world that I have tremendous respect for.

Many of them are veterans, and some not.

I’m talking about the men and women who make up our older generation.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where disrespect and a lack of manners are common.

I once saw a teenager eating with his grandmother at a local restaurant.  It broke my heart to watch her try to engage the teenager in conversation, but he was way too busy checking his cellphone the whole time.

What’s happened to the social graces that Baby Boomers like myself grew up with?

Appreciating The Older Generation

Christian “change” can start with us.

I believe we should make an effort to show kindness and respect to everyone, but with a special nod to our senior citizens.

If an older person in your path is approachable, then by all means why not say hello, look them in their eyes, and ask how they’re doing? You can pray for them too if they say they have a concern.

We have to start recognizing again that there are years and years of valuable experience and wisdom that we can learn from them.

Paying It Forward

There are many ways to honor the older generation, but here’s one idea.

My husband and I do this at restaurants, anonymously of course. We’ll talk with the waiter privately and pay for the meal of someone, especially if they are a veteran.

It’s a double blessing of joy – for the other person, and for us.

Grace is like a breath of fresh air in our discontented world.

A Blessing For Me

This past week, I was sitting next to a much older man.

We had a few moments to chat and share a few laughs.

He’s been married over fifty years and was more than happy to share his wisdom about the secrets for a long-lasting marriage – including expressions of love, sharing laughter, and mutual respect.

I enjoyed our conversation so much. He was polite and a real gentleman.

After a while, we were interrupted, and he had to leave. As he left, he looked back at me with a smile and said, quite humbly, “I hope I didn’t talk your ears off.”

I didn’t get a chance to respond because he had to leave quickly, but here’s what I wanted to tell him.

No, Sir, you didn’t talk my ears off at all. 

I’m grateful to have had the short time with you that I did.

And I won’t forget those little pearls of wisdom you shared.

Thank you for blessing me!