“Intelligence, goodness, humanity, excitement, serenity. Over time, these are the things that change the musculature of your face, as do laughter and animation and especially whatever peace you can broker with the person inside.
It’s furrow, pinch and judgment that make us look older — our mothers were right. They said that if you made certain faces, they would stick and they do. But our mothers forgot that faces of kindness and integrity stick as well.”— Anne Lamott
I’m either halfway done or just getting started. It’s all in how you look at it. When I turned 49 last year, I dreaded my 50th birthday. It’s here and you know what, the view is not only good, it’s lovely.
To celebrate, I bought my first pair of readers, started a new therapeutic hobby (painting flowers on my back porch) and I became the CEO of Mercy House Global.
After 8 years of hard work and sacrifice, my husband (who has served as the CEO) is stepping down to care for our family in a new way and I am stepping up. I’m excited and kind of terrified, but those feelings aren’t really new.
I am a couple short years away from a completely empty nest and I hope we are like fine wine, getting better with age. I’m ready for what’s next.. who knew I’d be leading a staff of over 30 women who also happen to be the largest group of licensed forklift drivers in our county! ”Women may be the one group that grows more radical with age,” Gloria Steinhem.
I wanted to quickly jump on this space and say thanks for being on this long road with me. Most of you have watched my children grow up and supported Mercy House Global in some way. Thanks for being a part of my life along the way.
And to all of us aging as gracefully as we can:
“Listen to your heart.. you are becoming more fully and completely who you were created to be.
It is a whisper that says you are being called to something new. It is a gentle voice that seems to say, ‘Ah, now I have your attention.’ It is a voice that has been patiently waiting to speak truth you would be able to hear.
We are no longer in that part of life when we simply respond to parents, children, husbands, jobs, the PTA, and recycling schedules. We are not spending every single minute trying to keep everyone else happy.” -Dale Bourke
