Posts Tagged ‘old man’

I wanted to change things up towards the lighter side with this post and I just couldn’t resist this article because I know we have ALL been there along our journey. I cannot take credit for this, and I have no idea who wrote it, but it just is so true…Enjoy.

Alright, so we have all been there at some point, you are in the middle of some kind of project around the house – mowing the lawn, putting up a new fence, painting the living room, or whatever. You are hot, sweaty, and covered in dirt or paint.  You have your old work clothes on,  Shorts with a hole in the crotch, an old T-shirt with a stain from who knows what, and an old pair of tennis shoes.  Right in the middle of this great home improvement project, you realize you need to run to Home Depot to get something to complete the job.  

Depending on your age you might do the following:

In your 20’s:

Stop what you are doing.  Shave, take a shower, blow-dry your hair, brush your teeth, floss, and put on clean clothes.  Check yourself in the mirror and flex.   Add a dab of your favorite cologne because you never know, you just might meet some hot chick while standing in the checkout lane or you went to school with the pretty girl running the register.

In your 30’s:

Stop what you are doing, put on clean shorts and a shirt.  Change shoes.   You married the hot chick so no need for much else. Wash your hands and comb your hair.  Check yourself in the mirror.  Still got it.  Add a shot of your favorite cologne to cover the smell.  The cute girl running the register is the kid sister to someone you went to school with.

In your 40’s:

Stop what you are doing.  Put on a sweatshirt that is long enough to cover the hole in the crotch of your shorts.  Put on different shoes and a hat.  Wash your hands.  Your bottle of Brute Cologne is almost empty so you don’t want to waste any of it on a trip to Home Depot.  Check yourself in the mirror and do more sucking in than flexing.  The spicy young thing running the register is your daughter’s age and you feel weird thinking she is pretty.

In your 50’s:

Stop what you are doing.  Put a hat on; wipe the dirt off your hands onto your shirt.  Change shoes because you don’t want to get dog crap in your new sports car.  Check yourself in the mirror and you swear not to wear that shirt anymore because it makes you look fat. The cutie running the register smiles when she sees you coming and you think you still have it.  Then you remember the hat you have on is from Buddy’s Bait & Beer Bar and it says, “I Got Worms.”

In your 60’s:

Stop what you are doing.  No need for a hat anymore.  Hose the dog crap off your shoes.  The mirror was shattered when you were in your 50’s.  You hope you have underwear on so nothing hangs out the hole in your pants.  The girl running the register may be cute, but you don’t have your glasses on so you aren’t sure.

In your 70’s:

Stop what you are doing.  Wait to go to Home Depot until the drugstore has your prescriptions ready, too. Don’t even notice the dog crap on your shoes. The young thing at the register smiles at you because you remind her of her grandfather.

I hope you enjoyed the humor of this article guys because the bottom line, we are all getting older but through the grace of God, even though our bodies aren’t what they used to be, we have huge reasons to be hopeful for the future. 

Jesus is alive and well and we must continue to tap into Him for Ironman Strength.

Until next time guys-

Every now and then I run across a poem/ story that really speaks to me. Some of them are kind of old-fashioned, like this one, but others are just good stories told well.  This one is an instant classic to me because it reeks of the cliché:

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”

All of us, at one time or another, have met someone and came to a conclusion simply based upon the way someone looked. Don’t deny it…because we ALL do this. The question is, when we find out we were wrong in our judgement, what do we do then?  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did…

 

my-old-shoes

I showered and shaved and I adjusted my tie.

I got there and sat in a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer as I closed my eyes.

I saw the shoe of the man next to me touching my own and I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side I thought, ‘Why must our soles touch?’

It bothered me, his shoe touching mine. But it sure didn’t bother him much.

A prayer began: ‘Our Father’ I thought, this man with the shoes, has no pride.

They’re dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!

‘Thank You for blessings,’ the prayer went on. The shoe man said a quiet ‘Amen.’

I tried to focus on the prayer but my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren’t we supposed to look our best when walking through that door?

‘Well, this certainly isn’t it,’ I thought, glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended and the songs of praise began.

The shoe man was certainly loud-sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters his hands were raised high.

The Lord could surely hear the shoe man’s voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering and what I threw in was steep.

I watched as the shoe man reached into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out what the shoe man put in.

Then I heard a soft ‘clink’. As when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me to tears, and that’s no lie.

It was the same for the shoe man for tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service as is the custom here.

We must greet new visitors and show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow and wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark and his hair was truly a mess.

But I thanked him for coming and for being our guest.

He said, ‘my names Charlie I’m glad to meet you, my friend.’

There were tears in his eyes but he had a large wide grin.

‘Let me explain,’ he said, still wiping those tears from his eyes.

‘I’ve been coming here for months and you’re the first to say ‘Hi.”

‘I know that my appearance is not like all the rest. ‘But I really do try to always look my best.’ ‘I always polish and clean my shoes before my very long walk’.

‘But by the time I get here, they’re dirty and dusty and just like chalk.’The_old_Man_and_the_Sea

My heart filled with pain and I swallowed my tears as he continued to apologize for daring to sit so near. He said, ‘When I get here I know I must look a sight.’ ‘But I thought if I could touch you then maybe our souls might unite.’

I was silent for a moment knowing whatever was said, would pale in comparison. So I spoke from my heart and not my head.

‘Oh, you’ve touched me,’ I said ‘and taught me in part; ‘that the best of any man is what is found in his heart.’ The rest, I thought, this shoe man will never know.

Like just how thankful I really am that his dirty old shoe touched my soul

 

Until next time guys…