Split Vision by Dr. Juan Harrison

Split Vision

I’ve often said age is a relative thing.  For a lot of us olders it’s hard to grasp that time has passed so quickly.  Mentally I imagine myself to be 30 until I roll out of bed and feel that old nagging pain in my back.  No one must tell me I’m old; most of the time I’m okay, but I know my limits.  I go slower and I try not to overdo it.

Youngers never think about it, but us old guys see the writing on the wall, and sometimes we can almost imagine hearing the bell in the distance answering John Donne’s question about who it’s ringing for, “”It tolls for thee.”

I visited a friend a while back right after lunch.  I left her alert and robust.  She reminded me about our common destination on high one day.  Four hours later she was turning into her dead-end street with food for her grown children.   Her heart gave out at 91 doing her last good deed.   I visited with another friend and customer in the morning as I trimmed her walk and drive as she recuperated from a shoulder problem. Later in the day her husband suffered a similar fate out of town.

Job talked a lot about man’s destiny and the appointment we have down here in this life.  Without hope it can be downright depressing.  As my elderly buddy Vonda reminded me, “Juan, we know where we’re going.”  I often wonder what she was thinking just before she made that turn and coasted up into my old neighbor’s yard.  I bet it was about something she planned to do for someone else.  That’s the way she rolled.

Most of us on this side of the dirt give occasional thought to how we’ll leave this world.  We’d all love to go quickly and avoid the nursing home or years of dementia.  My mom told me she hoped she didn’t have to face Alzheimer’s.  She only suffered 20 years with it.

Believers live with split desires.  We look forward to a future place of peaceful rest and no tears.  Still, we love our children, grand, and great grands.  We can’t imagine life without them.  As time has passed, we’ve come to realize what matters in life, and they’re at the top of the list.  As life in our country deteriorates, we find ourselves with split vision.  We find ourselves hugging our loved ones stronger and longer and our eyes keep looking to the sky as our lips softly say, “Even so Lord come quickly.”

By Dr. Juan Harrison