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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Ten Commandments for Senior Citizens

Our church’s Outreach Ministry gave a tribute to elders and disabled members recently. They treated us to the Manila Ocean Park, Kulturang Pinoy, and at the SM Mall of Asia. After the activity, they gave the each elder a copy of “Ten Commandments for Senior Citizens”.

I thought of sharing it here on my blog for senior citizens who might be able to drop by this blog and for the children who might be taking care of their aging parents or relatives. It could help them understand aging better.

However, the following are just opinions of its author (whom the copy where I have taken it has not revealed). You might not agree with all of it and I don’t write it as gospel truth but I believe that we can benefit from analyzing and reflecting on its practical ideas.   

Here it is:

1.       Face and accept the reality of getting old, its consequences and the limitations, which growing old brings. Act and behave your age. Quit fooling yourself by trying to look like you were in your youth.
2.       Focus on enjoying people, not on indulging in or accumulating material things.
3.       Plan to spend what you have saved, you deserve to enjoy the few healthy years you have left. Travel if you can afford it. Don’t leave anything for your children or loved ones to quarrel about. By leaving anything, you may even cause more trouble when you are gone.
4.       Live in the here and now, not in the yesterdays and tomorrows. It is only today that you can handle. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even happen.
5.       Enjoy your grandchildren (if you are blessed with any) but don’t be their full time baby-sitter. You have no moral obligation to take care of them. Don’t have any guilt about refusing to baby sit anyone’s kid, including your own grandkids. You parental obligation is to your children. After you have raised them into responsible adults, your duties of child-rearing and babysitting ends. Let your children raise their own offspring.
6.       Accept physical weakness, sickness and other physical pains. It is a part of the aging process. Enjoy whatever your health can allow.
7.       Enjoy what you are and what you have right now. Stop working hard for what you do not have. If you do not have them, it’s probably too late.
8.       Just enjoy your life with your spouse, children, grandchildren, and friends. People who truly love you for who you are and not what you have. Anyone who loves you for what you have will only give you misery.
9.       Forgive and accept forgiveness. Forgive yourself and others. Enjoy peace of mind and soul.
10.    Befriend death. It’s a natural part of the cycle of life. Don’t be afraid of it. Death is the beginning of a new and better life. So, prepare yourself not for death but for a new life.

If I may add one more,

11.    Spend the rest of your days serving the Lord, your God. Delight yourself in God and He will give you the desires of your heart.

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