I wrote the poem below as I was hitting a major milestone – I turned 50. As I scanned it today I was encouraged by my own words, now that I’m facing another milestone, a decade later. Yes, I’ll soon celebrate my 60th birthday. My husband preceded me in this life event and breezed through it with hardly a comment. I was in serious denial on his behalf, probably because I knew my turn was around the bend. But I am encouraged, now, as I look ahead. As the poem says, I am tingling just a little as I think of what might be coming down the road, both in this world and in the next. I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to, because “my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps 73:26). Hope you enjoy the poem.
New Notebook (On Turning 50)
by Marcia Laycock
It's time to change
pull this one out, free
of its binder
pages of poetry
scraps of prose
notes names quotations numbers
scattered meaning
disjointed wisdom on
ordered pages
ruled, margined words
my life put away
pages
come to an end
I think about the next
choices - what color on the cover
divided pages or run-together
thick or thin
spiral or bound
ruled or blank
I tingle
something new
about to begin.
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Very nice! I felt a bit 'traumatized' when I turned forty and as I approach the 50 mark I don't think I'll have any trouble. I suppose we all have our 'number' ...
ReplyDeleteSo true, Tracy. Turning 30 didn't bother me at all, but for some reason 35 did. Go figure. :) One of the exciting things about turning 60 is I get to celebrate with a bunch of friends on Baffin Island. Yeah!
ReplyDeleteSixty was good for me—in fact all those "biggies" were events I looked forward to. There are so many changes that await us as these high points in our lives comes and go. Some are good, some not so much. I changed careers at sixty, and though the body is still is fairly decent shape, it shows evidence of its mortality and reminds me that something much better is coming.
ReplyDeleteBlessings on you.
What a way to celebrate that event.... and as you anticipate the next one.... may that tingling begin in earnest.
ReplyDeleteI always get courage in remembering some of those 'older' folks who went on to do some of their best work in their later years... Moses, Joshua, Grandma Moses... to name just a few!
I feel some tingling happenin' myself!