Amazing Graciousness

Today I was witness to a beautiful example of grace in aging. Mama's Sunday School class which includes folks who have been church members for more than 60 years and has been in existence in its current form since 1979 has dwindled down to a very faithful few. Our new pastor and our children's director are faced with the happy problem of a children's program that is bursting at its seams and needs more space. We have two adult SS classes upstairs in the children's wing that seriously need to be re-located to make a safe and comfortable space for our little ones.

Now there are some things you just don't mess with in church without courting the probability of a great uproar complete with wailing and gnashing of teeth. Long-established Sunday School classes are generally on that list. But the pastor asked one of our sainted members who teaches periodically in Mama's class to host a brunch this morning so that he could present the problem to them and ask for their help. This is a man of great courage and fortitude. He told them that since they have the largest space we need to move one of the bigger classes into their room. They would have the option of joining the other older adult class down the hall or staying in their room with the younger (40-60 year old) folks.

Well now I am proud to tell you that each one of them was kind and gracious and generous of heart and they are all even a little excited about a new venture at this point in their lives. They will welcome this big group into their space even though it means changing their normal curriculum, new furniture and several other adjustments to be made. Not a one of them had a negative comment, not even a "But we've ALWAYS done it this way!"

There will be a celebration of their class during worship later in February and a new adventure in faith will begin for this lovely little group who are great examples of Christian love and grace. Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape. I hope the rest of the congregation comprehends the message of their testimony in action.

Getting better all the time!

At a networking meeting I attended earlier this week I heard a very inspiring word from one of the contestants of the upcoming Ms. Senior Jacksonville pageant. The pageant has four stated purposes:

• To allow women over the age of 60 to acknowledge their inner beauty and enhance their value in the community and in society
• To promote community awareness, showmanship and value of our seniors' atributes
• To educate our community that our seniors are active and vibrant
• To increase positive attitudes toward our seniors and their well-being

If all of the contestants are as eloquent and vibrant as the one I heard it's sure to be a difficult choice for the judges. I'm just so pleased to see an opportunity for some of the misconceptions and stereotypes about aging to be shattered. Aging is not a disease you know. There used to be a commercial for something that said, "You're not getting older, you're getting better." Truer words were never spoken.