Learning from My Older Girlfriends

There are many lessons we can learn from the elderly. The other night I went to a Relief Society activity and ate dinner at a table where I was the youngest person by at least 25 years. I had so much fun!

The ladies started off by talking about how they remember being younger and swearing they were never going to get varicose veins, liver spots, or saggy skin. Of course, it all happened regardless of their attempts to avoid it. They sat comparing their arms and how the skin sagged in various areas and how annoying it was. One sister talked about a book for older people that is called "Remember When Your Skin Used to Fit?" Hilarious. It reminded me of when I get together with younger moms and all we do is talk about our stretch marks, loose skin around the middle, and sliding chests. We're the same, we just talk about different body changes.

The topic of being a child during the WWII came up. I realized how truly spoiled we are now. I actually had to ask my husband how long we've been at war because I didn't remember. And have we felt any crunch with the war going on? No, not until the economy plummeted thanks to unrelated matters. Yet these women were talking about how they had to wear underwear made from flour sacks during the war. One talked about how during her third grade recital she kept having to hold up her underwear while doing her little dance so they wouldn't fall down. Wow! Talk about sacrifice. If I need underwear for my kids, I buy them from the store. How blessed I am to not have to make them from flour sacks. Those people talk of a kind of sacrifice we can only read about, but never have experienced. I cannot imagine the protests and rebellion that would spread across the nation if we were asked to give up things like stockings, driving, rubber, sugar, etc. for the war effort today.

I also love hanging around older women because there just isn't any pressure. There are some moms my age that are very competitive. It's all about who has the nicest clothes, house, body, car, etc. With the sweet old ladies in my ward there isn't any of that. Who cares? They are beyond that point in life where such trivial things mean so much. They care more about family, health, and living righteously. I feel like no one is judging me or watching my every move. They accept and love me for who I am. It's so refreshing!

I love being in a ward that has older sisters. I love learning from them and their life experiences. So often talking to them has helped me put things into perspective. There is life beyond poopy diapers and screaming kids! It gets better and it goes by all too fast. The elderly have a lot of treasures of knowledge to share. Don't write them off because, as mentioned in a recent General Conference talk, they have a lot to teach us and we have a lot to learn.