I am old
I may not hear
I may not see
I may seem distant
But please, invite me anyway.
I may look frail
I may be quiet
I may be unsteady
But please, invite me anyway.
I may make excuses
I may be fearful
I may be anxious
But please, invite me anyway.
I may say no, but
I will be thankful
I will be touched
Because you thought of me
And still want to be with me,
Anyway.
——
I wrote this when my mother-in-love was alive. As the years took a toll on her, we began traveling to her senior living center for Thanksgiving, rather than have her ride in the car all the way to our home—a 2 1/2 hour drive. It was easier on her, and she was still surrounded by family. She often would say,
“Oh, you kids shouldn’t go to all that trouble to drive all this way just to see me.”
But after our time together, she always expressed how incredibly special it was to be surrounded by family. Many of her friends were just not included anymore in their family dinners, and that made her sad for them. So, we began inviting those who were sitting alone to our family table at her senior center.
The worst part of aging is not aching joints, loss of eyesight or difficulty hearing. It’s isolation. It’s feeling you have become somebody else’s burden. It’s feeling left out. It’s not even being invited.
Excerpt from my book “The 3rd Third, Finishing Well” (to be released in June 2025)