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10 Years Older and Still At It

10 Years Older and Still At It

by | Jul 29, 2013 | Reflections on the Past

Jolene Philo leaves teaching

A couple weekends ago, I turned 57. Not a Big–0 birthday, but big nonetheless. Because I’ve now been out of teaching for an entire decade.

This 1–0 anniversary is a good reason to think about what’s happened since my wonderful co-workers gave me a send off that included the granting of a childhood wish to be a flower girl by making a “Mrs. Philo Phlowergirl Phorever” sash for me. (Which, by the way, is still in my closet.)  Here’s a smattering of where the decade went:

  • We said good-bye to both Hiram’s parents.
  • We hosted a foreign exchange student from Japan.
  • My daughter and I went to Europe.
  • My daughter graduated from high school and then college.
  • Hiram and I adapted to the empty nest smoothly.
  • Mom moved from her home to my brother’s house.
  • Mom’s house sold 4 hours after it was listed on the market.
  • Both our kids got married…within 3 months of each other.
  • We helped them move from here to there to there to….
  • Our first grandchild lit up our world.
  • Hiram and I celebrated 10 more anniversaries, with the count now standing at 36.
  • We’ve vacationed together in Alaska, Idaho, Savannah, Wisconsin, and probably other places that slip my mind because I’m 10 years older than I used to be.
  • I’ve traveled to speaking gigs all over Iowa and in DC, San Diego, Long Beach, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas and other places that slip my mind because of jet lag.
  • Only my mother, 2 of her sisters, and 1 brother-in-law are left of her 7 siblings and spouses who filled my childhood with security and a sense of belonging.
  • I worked for our church part time 4 years.
  • God allowed our congregation built a new church, and He provided everything needed to furnish it.
  • I’ve published scads of magazine articles and 2 books with contracts for 2 more.
  • Those books have led to friendships with the most amazing people in special needs ministry around the country.
  • I’ve gained enough tech savvy to be dangerous, but not enough to be proficient.
  • My retirement pension started sending checks 2 years ago.

The list could go on and on, but you get the picture. God blessed my step of faith out of education and into writing and speaking. He’s been with us through every joy, every sorrow, every good-bye, and every challenge. Sometimes, He even provides opportunities so I can wear my Phlowergirl Phorever sash at speaking engagements.

What more could I possibly want?

Mindful – Recycled

Mindful – Recycled

by | Mar 1, 2011 | Family

This morning I’m speaking to a MOPS group in River Falls, Wisconsin. It’s a “far piece” from Central Iowa, even a crazy investment of time and gas for a 45 minute talk. But, it’s not crazy to me, since my son and daughter-in-law live only an hour from River Falls, so I slept at their house last night.

That may not seem like a big deal, but spending time is something I don’t take for granted. A year after writing the blog post below, I am still mindful of God’s grace and restoration in our family. May the mindfulness never fade away.

Mindful – Recycled

I take so many things in life for granted: a warm home, a loving husband, more food than I need, education and job skills, freedom to travel, vacations, a functioning government, friends who stand by me, and the ability to pay our bills each month. These privileges are so commonplace I treat them as my due goes on and on.

But each time my children call, I’m reminded of a double privilege my husband and I never want to take for granted. We count it a blessing when they call, their voices full of confidence in our love for them, eager to talk about the events of the past week and dreams for the future. The blessing multiplies when they ask for our advice, consider our words seriously, and heed what we say.

I never dreamed of such a relationship with my adult children after growing up in the sixties watching the hippies and flower children denigrate and scoff the “establishment.” A bit young to participate in the rebellion, a bit of the ‘60s attitude managed to rub off on me. My parents’ advice was considered suspect until after our son was born, and we needed all the help we could get to survive his first five years.

So we never expected our children would value our advice before they became parents.  And during Allen’s monastery years, we lost our easy relationship with him and believed it was gone forever.

God has blessed our family with restoration. We deserve this blessing no more than any other family. I fight back tears when our children, overwhelmed by the sweetness of God’s grace, acutely aware of families broken by strife, crippled by rebellion. I restrain the tears until after the good-byes and I love yous.

Then I let them flow as I pray, “Please God, make me mindful of your blessings. Don’t let me ever take them for granted.”