Dear Parish Family,

All too often we dismiss the wisdom of age! This morning as I was getting gas, a gentleman shared a story of his 93-year-old grandmother and her move back to Michigan after 48 years in Florida. Thomas was packing up everything, as grandma didn’t want to part with anything, including the collection of cards from way back. Out of the blue she threw a card with a penny stuck to it in the trash. When asked about it, she remarked that “her great grandmother had given it to her, and it said keep this card and you will never be penniless.  It will inspire you to work hard and share with others.” He asked –“Are you sure you want to throw that away?” Later that evening she commented “that he looked very shocked.”  Her reasoning was - “which one of my grandchildren would receive it? Who would value a penny and what of the hurt of the others.  It had served her with inspiration and she couldn’t choose.” That puts a whole new meaning on wisdom!

In (Job 12:12), we are told “Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old. Wisdom is the first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit, because it is perfection of faith.  Through wisdom, we come to value the contribution of experience, knowledge, insight, common sense and judgement.

We should not neglect to respect our older generation, for their wisdom may be more valuable than we realize. Let’s honor them by listening and acknowledging them.

Have a blessed day!

Mary Jo