Karen OConnor - God Bless My Senior Moments

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Some Scripture verses 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.

Some Scripture verses are taken from The Living Bible , Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Cover illustration Cedric Hohnstadt

Cover design by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota.

Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370, www.booksandsuch.biz.

GOD BLESS MY SENIOR MOMENTS

Copyright 2014 by Karen OConnor

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.HarvestHousePublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-5382-5 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5383-2 (eBook)

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To Charles, my husband and prayer partner

To all seniors like me. God does bless us!

Contents

A fter writing 365 Reasons Why Gettin Old Aint So Bad and 365 Senior Moments Youd Rather Forget , I got to thinking about the importance of prayer at this stage of life. Its fun to laugh at our foibles and follies. We seniors need a chuckle as much as anyone, especially when we forget where we put our glasses (on our heads) and misplace our written prescriptions (we use the backs to write grocery lists). But we also need to pray and be prayed forat least I do.

To that end, Ive combined humor and prayer in this book. I trust God is smiling right along with us as we stumble into those awkward moments that are common to all of us as we grow older, wiser, and more real regarding how we look and what we say. Its okay to make a mistake or to misstep. Were only human, after all. There are also plenty of tender and sweet moments to celebrate during our senior years!

I hope you enjoy reading and talking to God as you use the short prayers in this book. If they encourage you to share some of your own humorous experiences and prayers, thats great too. And if youd like to send them along to me, feel free to email them to karen@karenoconnor.com . Perhaps theyll be included in my next book! Supporting each other through laughter and prayer are the best ways we can help each other during this season of life.

May God bless you, look after you when senior moments hit, and bring joy to all your relationships.

Karen OConnor

Watsonville, California

L ord, what a relief to focus on what you think of me instead of what other people think. May I always keep my eyes on you.

D ear God, I chuckle when I think of my stubborn streak. Sometimes I cling to being right even when Im wronglike today when my husband told me the bug I was chasing wasnt there. It was simply a floater in my eye.

L ord, thank you for keeping me sane this morning when I dropped my blouse into the trash compactor and scraped my leftover cereal into the clothes hamper.

O God, Im so grateful to know that as I lay my head on my pillow at night, I have your assurance that when the alarm clock rings tomorrow morning, Ill get to it without falling out of bed.

T hank you, heavenly Father, that in these later years I can take a nap if I wish and not feel guilty for giving myself some time to rest.

O Lord, how much I love the little things in lifeincluding the tweet of a bird, the fragrance of a flower, and the sound of a baby laughing.

W hat a joy, dear God, to relax with my husband in the same room without saying a word to each other. Were as comfy and familiar with each other as a pair of well-worn, best-loved slippers.

W hew! Thank you, Lord, for helping us get out of debtfinancially and in relationships.

G od, its a good thing you reminded me to turn on the stove or our oatmeal would taste more like watery soup than hot cereal.

I nstant coffee or ground flax? That was close. If I hadnt paused to read the label, Id have used the wrong jar. Thank you, God, for telling me to slow down before it was too late.

G ood catch, Lord! You flagged me before I inserted my Target card into the ATM slot.

T hank you, Lord, for reminding me to pick up the book I just bought to help me with memory loss.

I m grateful, God, that youre watching out for me when Im not. You helped me get through the list of introductions at our homeowners party without missing a beat. I wish Id asked you to help me remember my husbands name though

L ord, my new hairstyle is on account of you. I lost the photo of the style I wanted so I got this one instead. Thanks for leading the way. I like it.

H ow embarrassing, God. I called someone I know well and then forgot her name when she answered the phone. Im glad you know the names of all my friends so you could bail me out by bringing it to my mind.

O h no, dear God, another check went into the mail before I signed it. Please help me slow down and take one step at a time.

L ord, help me put first things first, such as waiting for the microwave timer to go off before leaving the room. Otherwise Im likely to find a cup of cold tea in there tomorrow morning.

O Lord, what is with me? This morning I tried to crack an orange instead of an egguntil you tapped me on the shoulder. Thank you.

T hank you, God, for the stamina I needed to push the loaded supermarket cart from the store exit to my car. But what was I thinking after that? I opened the rear door of my car, dropped the cart off in the return area, and drove away. I left the groceries in the cart! Please let them still be there when I get back to the store.

L ord, Im thankful for the eyes to see the child who darted in front of my car. Thank you for the ears to hear your reminder to slow down when I entered this neighborhood.

H eavenly Father, lead me in the way I need to go when it comes to hearing the pain and hurt in another persons life. Give me the wisdom and patience to listen instead of barreling ahead with my woes.

M y purpose is to give life in all its fullness (John 10:10). Lord, what a comfort you are.

J esus, be with me, please, especially when I stumble over a word or trip on a step. Pick me up, dust me off, and encourage me so Im ready to go again.

L ord, I have bills to pay today. Please gently coach me to make sure I put the correct checks in the appropriate envelopes.

O ops! Lord, I need help cleaning out the clutter in my desk drawers. I tend to hang on to stuff I no longer need. Teach me to let go of the old and welcome the new.

T hank you, God, for keeping me from putting my new shoes in the giveaway box and keeping the old ones. I wonder where my mind is sometimes.

L ord, did I leave my cell phone in Donnas car? I hope not cause shes on vacation. Please help me find it.

A h, thank you, God, for your quick response. I found my phone right where I must have put itnext to a box of strawberries in the fridge!