When I Am Old...

I met a wonderful old lady the other day. I was dropping off a friend, when she told me, " You have to come in to see Grandma's cat." Well, I saw the cat, it was the biggest cat I had ever seen, which was her reason for showing me; but "Tigger" wasn't the reason I stayed longer than I had planned. As soon as I met Tigger's owner, I knew I had found a treasure.
She smiled when we were introduced - she had a lovely smile, complete with smile wrinkles from doing it often. She hugged her granddaughter and laughed when the cat lay down to eat his dinner... he was so large he didn't stand up to eat. "He's my room-mate," she said, smiling.
We talked for a long time, she told me how her town used to look, and we found a common interest in journaling. When she showed us to the door, she apologetically said that she couldn't follow us out. "My daughter doesn't want me going down steps, she thinks I might fall," she explained.
Her peace and contentment and joy just showed on her face, and she was beautiful.
Sometimes I will see an elderly lady and just think; "I want to look like that when I am old." Someone once told me that our lives are revealed on our faces when we are old; and once we are aged we no longer hide our true selves. Perhaps that is true; for a tree is known by its fruit, and what we put into our lives will come out whether it is sooner or later.
"Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." (Proverbs 16:31) There are so many elderly people I know whose righteous lives are an example and a blessing to all those they interact with. Maybe they aren't very mobile, perhaps they tire easily, maybe they are dealing with many medicines and doctor appointments; it doesn't affect the shining example of a life lived righteously.
And I want to look like that when I am old.