Carolyn Bassett - A Season of Grace: Embracing Gods Gifts in the Autumn of Our Lives

A SEASON OF GRACE

Embracing Gods Gifts in the Autumn of Our Lives

A SEASON OF GRACE

Embracing Gods Gifts in the Autumn of Our Lives

CAROLYN BASSETT

Copyright 2017 by Carolyn Bassett

All rights reserved

Published by The Word Among Us Press

7115 Guilford Road

Frederick, Maryland 21704

www.wau.org

21 20 19 18 17 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-316-5

eISBN: 978-1-59325-498-8

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture passages contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

One Scripture passage taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.

Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Cover design by Faceout
Author photo courtesy of Tom Bassett

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other, except for brief quotations in printed reviewswithout the prior permission of the author and publisher.

Made and printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017952038

To Frank, my loving and faithful husband of fifty-three years. It has been my deep joy to share our life together in Christ over these many years with family, friends and those we meet along the way.

Contents

Introduction

In 1975 our pastor at St. Anthonys Parish in Kailua, Hawaii, Fr. Joseph Ferrario, hosted a get-together at his rectory for four couples. We had just finished a lovely meal when Fr. Joe asked us to come into the living room. As we settled in, he said, I consider myself something like a talent scout for God. I would like to go around the room and share with each of you a gift I believe God has given you and how you might be able to develop it further to help build up the Church.

When my turn came, I was totally surprised by what Fr. Joe said. He thought I had an ability to listen well to others, to affirm them, and to encourage them. He also thought I would be effective with older and infirm people. He suggested that I take some courses with the Diocese of Honolulu on caring for the elderly and dying. He also wanted me to consider joining the chaplaincy at the local hospital.

I looked at my husband, Frank, with disbelief. Me, work with the elderly and the dying in a hospital? Fr. Joe must have been mistaken. I was scared to death to set foot in a hospital. Besides, I was a busy woman, a wife and a mother of two children who was also working part-time. I was fully involved in supporting our son and daughter at school and in sports. Frank and I were also active in our parish and members of a large prayer group at St. Anthonys.

However, after praying for a time, I came to believe that God was asking me to trust him in this work. He wanted me to embrace the new gifts he would give me to do this service. And I not only needed to embrace the new gifts; I also needed to grow more in my trust in him.

It took me almost a year to get over my fear of hospitals. But the more training I received, the more confidence I had that the Holy Spirit could work within me for each person whom I would encounter. This ministry involved me not only with the patients but often with their families as well.

Many of these dear people gave me glimpses into the aging process and the blessing that those who are older could be to others within the family circle and to friends. Some men and women of faith profoundly affected their loved ones as they faced various health issues and other trials and struggled to learn what God wanted to accomplish within them during those times. Others, having more time to live here on earth, were inspired to love with new purpose. As the psalmist wrote, they would flourish like a palm tree, / still bear fruit in old age, and stay fresh and green (Psalm 92:12, 14, NIV). Still others showed me great humility and love in being able to forgive deep hurts of the past. I was also inspired by the many expressions of gratitude for each new day that I heard from many in this season of grace.

Now, four decades later, I have welcomed my aging years with all they entail, even though many days I still feel young at heart. I am writing about what you and I could face as we age and what I have witnessed in the lives of others that has been an encouragement to me.

If you have already reached an esteemed old age, you will probably relate to many of the people on the following pages. My hope is that what you find in common with them will lift your heart, make you smile, and help you to embrace even more from our loving, generous God. This is a season of your life that can bear much fruit for Gods kingdom. I hope that you will be inspired to share your stories with others, the young as well as the old, from your personal history, your family history, and your faith journey.

This book is also for those of you who enjoy storiestrue stories about real people who are seeking deeper meaning in life as they age, who embrace each day and treasure it for the gift it is, and who grow in love of God and others in the midst of their own limitations and suffering. These stories give you a snapshot of the loving Christ, the merciful and forgiving Christ, the wounded Christ, the suffering Christ, the dying Christ, and the Christ who has risen and is calling you by name. These vignettes also address the misconceptions of aging and point out the advantages and joys of living well as we continue to age. They can help lift your mind and heart to have hope in a real, vibrant, living Christ who is involved in your world and the world at large.

Use this book in your prayer time, as a daily pick-me-up, and as a guide to help you think through difficult situations. I hope it will give you some fresh ideas about building friendships and encourage you to help others grow in their faith in Jesus.

But this book isnt only for those who have already reached the autumn of their lives. If you are interested in the aging process and want to learn more about it nowbefore you become eligible for those senior discounts!then these reflections might help you embrace the years to come as well as the gifts that God can give you along the way. It can also be a resource for those who want to help their parents as they age and for anyone who enjoys older people and wants to learn how to relate to them better and support them more fully.

I pray that as you read these vignettes, no matter what age you may be, you will discover the new gifts that God wants you to embrace and be refreshed in the gifts that you already have. Above all, I hope that your love for Jesus will grow deeper as you see him acting in the lives of those you encounter in the following pages. I welcome you to join me and those I have written about to get a glimpse of what a season of grace could mean for you or for a loved one in the future.

Carolyn Bassett

Aging with a Purpose

Are you aging with a purpose, or are you just aging despite every attempt to resist yet another birthday? Perhaps you view aging as a dreaded process: more aches, more pains, more disease and limitations encroaching on that body of yours. Even if you are relatively healthy, if you lack a heartfelt purpose for each day, you could find depression, apathy, or self-centeredness setting in.