This featured article is written by Irene Hart Cordell of Athens, Georgia
In the mirror, I see my mother.
It seems like only yesterday she was 75, and now it’s me. My hands are hers. My smile. The coloring of my eyes. The wrinkles outlining my cheek bones.
I often joke, “Oh Lord, I am as old as my mother!”
What do you do when you reach 75 years of age?
In the words of my very wise mother, “You have to get behind yourself and push.”
If we live long enough, everyone will reach 75; but, how we handle it – or any age for that matter – is totally up to us. And for my mom, it is how hard you push when times get rough that makes all the difference.
I have a friend who is originally from Cuba, and her philosophy is that we all have four seasons in our lives: spring is from birth to 25, where we are planting and growing; 25 to 50 is summer where we are blooming and producing; 50 to 75 is the fall where we are harvesting and enjoying the fruits of our labors; and, at 75 the winter season begins where we reflect on all our accomplishments.
But, it doesn’t end here.
I have always been a dreamer. I love art. My whole life I’ve been an artist. Currently, I love to paint porcelain china. The act of taking plain white porcelain and converting it into the perfect plate or vase is exciting. I haven’t achieved perfection; yet, I’m still dreaming!
I love to sew, do needle work, trace ancestors, and refinish furniture. To take something that appears useless and transform it into something worthy of a second chance energizes me. Although, I have many pieces to go; I’m still dreaming.
I am not unlike my grandmother, who at the tender age of 75 moved to Athens, Georgia, a widow, and purchased a colonial home with no heat and a lot of acreage. She needed money to restore the house so she started Athens’ first subdivision in the 1930’s. And she never stopped dreaming.
My thoughts to anyone in any season of life are to always have a dream – no matter how big or small. When you think you couldn’t possibly do what you are dreaming to do, get behind yourself and push.
I love to look in the mirror and see who I’ve become.
“I thank the Lord I am as old as my mother.”
