The Best Years

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis

Iyla Mason's 94th birthday

As I reflect on Mom’s 95 years, it is evident that the last five were some of her best.  Of course, I was not around for the first 30, but I know the stories told by my sisters and mom herself.  Life was full of responsibilities and hard work.  Mom never slacked from duty.  She raised three kids on the farm and was the caregiver for almost eight years for Grandpa Mason, her father-in-law.  I know that Mom made our lives as gracious as possible on limited resources.   She sewed, gardened, canned, cooked, and took eggs to town to sell for a little extra money.  I remember stories about heating bricks in the wood stove to put under the covers on cold winter nights. She and Daddy wallpapered the thin walls of the two-story farmhouse.  Mom said she thought the wallpaper was holding the house together when the wind would blow.   When we moved to town, she was helping Dad run a startup business.  I don’t think the word stress was used in those days, but she must have had a lot of it.  Her life was difficult, although I don’t remember her complaining about hard work.

Contrast that to the last five years of her life.  At first, she strenuously resisted moving to a retirement community. She thought she wanted to keep her own home forever.  After some convincing, she made a move.  We decorated her apartment with all of her favorite things.  Her life in Independent Living was wonderful.  She was so carefree and active.  Days were filled with card games, parties, Bible studies, and friends.  Mom was so accustomed to working that it took her a while to learn to play without feeling guilty.  It was a time to rest from her labor and a reward for all her years of work.  I am so thrilled that she had the opportunity to enjoy the new lifestyle!