04 May, 2017

Lessons from a Ninety Year Old

Last week, while canvassing, I had the privilege of meeting an amazing lady. She was ninety years old, and we had a great conversation. I was only at her place for a short time, but I learned a lot. I started jotting down the lessons she embodied, thinking I would only come up with half a dozen. But the list went on, and behind each point is a story.


Do talk to strangers
Take time for others
Give credit where credit is due
Don’t think too highly of yourself
Listen to your parents
Give
Value family and community
Stay upbeat – always look on the bright side
Find your purpose in serving
Work for your money
Be content with what you have
Say your prayers anyway
It’s okay for things to affect you
Don’t say you can’t
Cheekiness can be done well
You’re never too old
Don’t get out of your pyjamas unnecessarily
Relationships matter most
Don’t give up
The one thing to look for in a spouse is unselfishness
Take pride in your family
Be faithful until death does you part
Stories show character
We can always learn from somebody
The most important thing is love


I was talking to her for under an hour, but left feeling so blessed. If I had to sum up my perception of this lady’s life in a word, it would be the verb give. Almost every story she told demonstrated her self-sacrificing spirit, right down to the fact that she is currently looking after her husband who has Alzheimer’s. “He’s like a child,” she told me, “but I still love him.” And yet, she was so humble. I told her she was amazing and she said she was just an ordinary housemother. I told her she was an inspiration, and she looked at me and said, “Am I really?” then proceeded to tell me she was just doing her bit. 

While she was looking around the house for a donation for a book I was leaving with her, I noticed a plaque on her wall. It described how Jesus was so unassuming – he was born in a feed bin, he never travelled the world, he wasn’t heralded by leaders of the day. His presence was a gift, His ministry was denial, and His death ultimate self-sacrifice. And yet, He had the biggest impact on history.

When I commented on the message, this dear old lady promptly pulled the plaque off her wall and gave it to me. I can’t help but think that’s something Jesus would do.

37 comments:

  1. This is so beautiful! What great life lessons we can learn from older people. Thank you for sharing this story! ♥

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    1. Yes, it was a real blessing to meet her! Thank you for reading and commenting, Emily! xx

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  2. Oh gosh I loved this so much. That's so awesome that you got to talk with this woman! She sounds really wonderful. Thank you for sharing this story and that list. We should all strive to do more of those things!
    xx

    Sophy

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    1. I know - I felt so privileged to be able to listen to her stories! Yes, there's so much to put into practice from her life. Thanks a lot for your comment, Sophy. :)

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  3. That's so powerful and touching. There's this elderly lady at our church, who I like to hang out with, she's taught me a lot of lessons in the past three years. Elderly people are usually so wise and way more experienced in God's word than we young people are. I love the last sentence of this post, it's just beautiful.

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    1. That's so nice you have an older friend you see regularly! Yes, there's so much to learn from them. Thanks for your sweet comment, Gray! :)

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  4. Wow, Jessica! What a very special thing to have met and gotten to talk with this lady! Reading of your connection with her second hand was such a blessing, it's hard to imagine how it would have been for you.

    And have I read correctly that you went canvasing again recently truly last week? How was that organised? Was it in your own area?

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    1. Yes, I felt encouraged and inspired - and honoured, really. I'm so glad it could be a blessing to you too!

      And yes, you read correctly. :) I went canvassing last week, just for a few days (unfortunately other commitments didn't allow for me to join for longer). It was in a town a few hours away from where I live. I wish I could've done more, but God really blessed that short amount of time, and I've come back even more inspired to get closer to Him, and look for ways to minister to others.

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    2. Oh Jessica, I'm so happy for you! Do you think this is something you'll want to do long term or continuously?

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    3. Thanks Jordy! Honestly, I'd love to be able to canvass regularly long term - we'll see how God leads. :)

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  5. aw this is so beautiful! thank you for sharing. reminded me of my great grandma who i was close with before she passed away. <3

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    1. That's so special you could have a close relationship with your great grandma. She must've had lots of wisdom to share. Thanks heaps for reading and leaving a comment! xx

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  6. She sounds like the absolute coolest person <3

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    1. She totally was - from still swimming in the river every morning, to teasing the postman about his beard, to giving me advice on life! Thanks for reading, Grace! :)

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  7. This is so sweet. I really like that first lesson. Talk to strangers... I feel like that's how you learn a lot about the world. I am happy for you having to spend this time with someone who sounds lovely.

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    1. Little things like these make the best kind of treasure.

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    2. Yes! I think it's a great attitude to have; there is so much to learn from other people. I'm definitely going to treasure this. Thanks, Vanessa. xx

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  8. WOW this is so powerful - I love it! I think the world tends to overlook the older generation but they have so much to teach us! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Yes, I think this world would be a better place if we took time to learn from them. Thanks for reading, and leaving an encouraging comment, Kara! xx

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  9. Oh I love this! They're such short but impactful messages. "Stories show character" was probably my favorite. That one's really making me think. Also, I love how young at heart some are, such as, "not getting out of your pyjamas unnecessarily". :)

    I'm happy that you got to meet this wonderful lady, and grateful that you shared her wisdom with us!

    -Mary

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    1. And behind each of those points is a story she told me. I wish I had space to share more! She did have so much wisdom to impart.

      Thanks for commenting - and I'm glad you enjoyed this! :)

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  10. Wow what a beautiful testimony Jess!
    Thank for sharing! Sometimes God really puts Gems in our path.

    Blessings Sis! :)

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    1. Praise God! He certainly does - she was a big encouragement to me. :) Thanks for your comment, Grace - blessings to you too!

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  11. This is beautiful! What a wonderful and inspiring lady. <3 I wish I could meet her; all her lessons are so true and honest. Thanks so much for sharing! :D

    melissagravitis.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for reading, Melissa! She was an amazing lady - I wish there was a way you could meet her! :)

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  12. It's inspiring that at 19 years old you can list things you've learnt from life..Hopefully I can do this same. Lovely post!

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    1. Thanks for your encouragement, Rukiya! I think the best way to find lessons from life is to try look for them everywhere you can! Thanks again. :)

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  13. She has so many GOOD lessons to give! What a blessing. :)

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    1. That's exactly how I felt! Thanks for your comment, Maggie - it's nice to hear from you! :)

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  14. Amazing post! It's extraordinary what we can learn from other people. I feel like I just read a lifetimes worth of lessons - one great thing about blogging is how we can learn from the wisdom of others. :)

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    1. Yes - everybody has something they can teach us. And you're so right - blogging is a great way to learn from others! I'm glad you enjoyed this, Jo. Thanks for commenting! :)

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  15. Wow. What an amazing and inspiring encounter. May we all grow to be as godly and gracious as this sweet lady.

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    1. Amen! Thanks for reading and commenting, Gloria. xx

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