What Do I Know?

For weeks I've been trying to figure out what it means to become an old man. I'm kind of scared, I've never had to do this before. I mean, what if I don't do it right? Are they going to take away my AARP card?

I guess now that I'm an old man people will come to me seeking my wisdom; and I'll remember my father's advice to me when he was feeling the aches and pains of his later years: "Son, don't ever get old."

I have learned quite a few things over the years. Some of it I can still remember, and some I wish I could forget. A lot of it was important once but isn't any more. But I would like to share a few of the things I've learned, for whatever benefit you can gain from them. I can't sit down and share them with each one of you individually in one afternoon so here are seven of the most important briefly:

  1. Security depends not so much upon how much you have, as upon how much you can do without. — Joseph Wood Krutch
  2. I believe it was Ellen Parr who first said it, but I think it is valuable to repeat: the cure for boredom is curiosity; there is no cure for curiosity.
  3. There are often several ways to understand any given set of facts or circumstances; some of them are likely to be more useful than others. Always consider alternate points of view.
  4. When I realized that I would no longer be able to provide the major source of our household income, and I was feeling like a failure, I also realized that one way to measure a man's worth is whether he lives in a house full of happy people. I am no longer a failure.
  5. Proverbs 14:10 says "Each heart knows it own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy." Every one of us -- yes even the people we don't like -- has our own collection of fears, and pains, and disappointments, and a similar collection of dreams, and hopes, and aspirations. Mine are likely quite different than yours, but may also have strong similarities to yours. Never forget the humanity and dignity of the other. (I'll show you mine if you show me yours.)
  6. Love is so much more than some wonderful, giddy, possibly intense feeling of affection toward someone -- it is the collection of actions we take to enhance their well-being. It is a sincere and active concern for the needs of the one loved. Love is what you DO rather than merely what you feel.
  7. I've learned that I can summarize the entire Bible in only two words. Ask me what those two words are, but it will take a few more than two to explain why those two words are appropriate.

Worth Reading

Mine

Bucketful Of Memories - <http://jdcard.com/Memories.html>

How to Make a Paper Airplane - <http://jdcard.com/engl3007/airplane.htm>

Grace's Name - <http://jdcard.com/GracesName.html>

The Best Trip Ever - <http://jdcard.com/vacatn.htm>

My Days As An Eco-Terrorist - <http://my.opera.com/JamesCard/blog/show.dml/12302>

Best Of Our 2010 Photos - <http://jdcard.com/Pics2010/>

HELP! My Friend Has Multiple Personalities - <http://jdcard.com/mpdfrnd1.htm>

Are You Serious? - <http://my.opera.com/JamesCard/blog/show.dml/10702>

Outside Looking In - <http://jdcard.com/crazy.htm>

Militant Music - <http://jdcard.com/samusi.htm>

Descartes' View of Sense Perception - <http://jdcard.com/descar.htm>

How the world works... - <http://jdcard.com/undrstnd.htm>

What happened to the baby? - <http://jdcard.com/baby.htm>

When I Should Die - <http://jdcard.com/WhenIDie.html>

Others

The NET Bible - <http://classic.net.bible.org/> is my favorite study tool because of its detailed footnotes, easy comparison with other translations, and links to the original language text and translation tools.

George MacDonald: The Elect Lady - <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8944>; a novel reflecting MacDonald's advice for practical Christian living.

George MacDonald: The Light Princess - <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/697>; a light-hearted story about the gravity of family relationships.

George MacDonald: The Golden Key - <http://www.istad.org/lenses/key/golden-key.html>; a delightful fantasy with a section in the middle of the book that reminds me of those "every-day" days that fill our lives (that I've described elsewhere as "oatmeal days") featuring one of MacDonald's hallmark story elements: the shadow.

George MacDonald: At the Back of the North Wind - <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18614>

George MacDonald: Thomas Wingfold, Curate <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5976>, Paul Faber, Surgeon - <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12387>, and There & Back <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8879> this trilogy of novels provides a much richer, more detailed examination of what it means to live a Christian life.

Frances Hodgson Burnett: A Lady of Quality - <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1550> a lady who learns to live a Christian life -- or does she?

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