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Ecclesiastes 9:10 NLT

'Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.'

A great temptation with ageing is to drift towards the inevitability of decline and isolation. The statistics are useful, yet they are not to victimise us. It is wonderful that we can keep interests alive even as we age. It might be that we need to reappraise our situation and develop new hobbies and activities, yet we are not dead until we stop breathing.

Katey was an inspiration here; for although MS stole her physical strength, increased her disability and messed with her short-term memory, she never stopped finding ways to live. When forced to leave teaching – her first love – on health grounds, she took it upon herself to remodel our home, first the kitchen and then the lounge, before she needed to regroup and rethink. So with each of us: every step of the way requires a reimagination and a reinvention of ourselves.

There is some practicality in this as well. It frees up spaces for a rising generation. Do I really need to be a part of church leadership past 50? My ‘wisdom’, such as it is, can be readily accessed. But surely the 30-year-old is a better fit for contemporary family life than I am. I, however, have a significant contribution to make to my peers. It’s disappointing the Church has failed to develop effective peer-to-peer ministries that would enrich the over-60s.

So what has my hand found to do? I have found a garden that requires management. It provides a beautiful contemplative space for the household and visitors on quiet days and retreats. I have taken to continuing my contemplative journey and God speaks and guides my steps. I’ve found an active parish church and I am in conversation about where I fit and the contribution I can bring, as well as expressing my own desire, need for friendship and companionship. Finally, in an attempt to underwrite all this, I have launched an online learning business with a friend.

QUESTION: How would you like to fill your days, post-work?

PRAYER: Lord of the living, help me to live, to fill my days with purpose and to do what I can the best I can.