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If you live long enough, things happen: You might become wiser, when you apply life’s experiences and the lessons learned from them to how you live; you realize that there are many good things in the world; you find yourself having fewer contemporaries…just to name a few. The latter is a reality that is clearly apparent; watching people you know leave the scene often gives you a sense that you’re becoming more and more a lone survivor. Granted, your mortality is just as real as those who have left you, but you’re still here and you’re becoming more the member of an exclusive club, as you keep breathing.

When you are living a meaningful and blessed life, you really take note of the value of living a long life. I know I’ve written several times before about me having Multiple Myeloma, that incurable, hideous cancer. I’ll be celebrating my nineteenth anniversary since diagnosis in four days, March 12th. Some people might say that at sixty-eight years of age, I’m not that old. I’m not one to be talking about living or having lived a long life. If someone is saying that, I vehemently disagree. Roughly 22,000 new cases of Multiple Myeloma are diagnosed each year and about 10,000 deaths occur yearly. Confronted with those numbers, and still here, as I am, I’m living a long life.

There’s a gospel song, titled, “The road is Rough.” The chorus to the song is: “You know the road is rough and the going gets tough and the hills are hard to climb. I started out oh a long time ago and I’ve made up, I’ve made up my mind. Yes, in Jesus strong arms where no tempest can harm, I’m safe and secure. I’ve decided to make Jesus my choice.” The doctors have done a great job with me. I’ve been blessed to be located close to one of the world’s best Myeloma Treatment Centers in the world. My faith tells me that all things are working to my benefit because of the God I serve. With all the prayers being deposited on by behalf, and God’s providence, there are no roads too rough for Him. I’m the most grateful benefactor. He is my choice.

If you’ve read any of my musings before and wondered why I call myself “Old and Blessed”, I hope this gives you a sense of why I feel this way. There is nothing like living and living well against the odds. Of course, when the odds are against you, God does His best work.

I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.