During the three decades I was an editor at the Prince Albert Daily Herald, I had the opportunity to meet, and sometimes interview, manny inspiring people. For example, while organizing my photo album I came across a picture of author W.0. Mitchell sharing his thoughts with a much younger me in the newsroom. I also remember interviewing an Episcopal bishop from South Africa whose black face shone with the love of God.
When the moderator of the United Church of Canada, The Rt. Rev. Walter Farquharson, visited Prince Albert in 1990, I had the opportunity to chat with him. I asked about his personal goals as a leader of the church. He humbly replied that his gift to the church was to be an encourager. Churches were experiencing enormous changes and he was visiting congregations, large and small, to encourage and support them in their struggles. I believe that seniors can be encouragers much like Rev. Farquharson was.
Now that I have entered the last quarter of my life, I face increasing limitation. Arthritic joints sometimes limit my movements. Failing eyesight makes it difficult to read and write. I miss a lot of the conversation if I don’t wear my hearing aid. And then, there are those “senior moments” … sometimes laughable, sometimes distressing.
North American culture tends to focus on youthfulness. Older people sometimes feel left behind and useless. The skills and knowledge we have acquired through years of work and study no longer seem to apply to a rapidly changing culture. But we still have life skills, sometimes acquired by making mistake and learning from those mistakes.
Because I have lived a full and active life, I have learned a number of alternatives, both positive and negative, for many situations. I cannot give technological advice to my granddaughter, but I can encourage her to forge ahead. In my lifetime I have seen many people in similar circumstances andI know there are many paths forward. What might seem like a terrier failure can be a learning opportunity. Major setbacks can build resiliency and help us to move on to future opportunities.
When my son graduated from high school in the ‘90s, it was said his generation would have to retrain five times during their working life. When my granddaughter started kindergarten, it was said school was preparing her for a career that had not yet been envisioned. Throughout the changes I made in my life, I was inspired by my father’s successful transition to new careers several times.
Now it is my turn to be an encourager. To remind those around me that not every setback is a disaster. I can remind others that there are many ways forward. I can encourage them to discover the gifts and strengths they always had but which they had forgotten. I can learn how to be an encourager.
