STEPPING OUT OF THE LIGHT . . .

Hi Alert Readers! Just a note to all of you out there who may be "of a certain age". ** You know who you are. ** This getting old thing is getting old!  . . . sigh . . .  We just taught our teenage Sunday School class about the Three Nephites- and about the NINE who were to live until they were 72 years old, and then pass immediately into the presence of God. 72????????  Denny and I are now 69- pushing 70 pretty hard!  72 is just maybe 30 months away!  We are not, of course, the Three Nephites . . . but just considering that their "ending date" was so close to our present age gives us a whole new perspective.

Now I have something to say: getting old is hard enough, but stepping out of the light is much harder. Just a few years ago, before we moved, Denny and I were involved in just about EVERYTHING in the Santa Monica Stake. We had both served in the Stake for more than 20 years. By the time we left, we felt like we knew nearly EVERYBODY in the Stake; knew their parents, siblings, grandparents, even their DOGS! (OKAY- that is an exaggeration!)  We were busy, involved, our phone rang constantly, we felt needed, and happy. Our sweet little Ward, Santa Monica 1^st, was "family" to us.

Then we moved into a very large Ward. Mesa 18^th Ward is warm, friendly, loving and kind. But our age has somehow put up a "wall" between us and all the things we used to do. Denny has done fine with this- he enjoys having so much time to himself. I, however, have had a tougher time. I miss the young men and young women who were such a HUGE part of our lives for so many years. I miss the opportunity to work on Ward/Stake productions and parties. I miss the sociability of my large group of friends to go to dinner/parties/showers/movies with and chat, chat, chat with on the phone. I miss the better health we had in Santa Monica. The past few years have been tough on us physically- both of us have had illnesses and surgeries that have sidelined us now for about three years.

. . .  I know, I know: "Do you want some cheese with that whine????" 

It has been hard to step out of the light into the fringes of a large, active Ward and Stake. But this is inevitable, I know. Our days in the sun are behind us. It's time now for the Kindras, Wendys, Debbies, Karens, Lauras and Susans to shine. And, boy!, do they! Our Ward is chock full of wonderful, talented young wives and mothers. I can't BEGIN to mention them all. Our job is to take a back seat and cheer them on, just as the "older" sisters cheered US on for so many years. Learning to enjoy activities without being involved has been a hard lesson for me, but at the "Trunk or Treat" last Monday, Den and I found ourselves laughing and enjoying the conversations around us without a single worry about the activity itself. ;-]  Pretty nice, actually!  . . . pretty nice, indeed . . .