By Rev. Joseph San Jose
Pastor, Open Table-MCC, an LGBTQIA+ affirming church
Let us be age-positive. There’s nothing to be ashamed of with growing older and reaching a certain age. There’s beauty that is uniquely carved by the passing of age. Relics and artifacts are not valued by their newness but by how old they are. So like a precious treasure from the past, may your age reflect the value of a life well lived.
Life is also a limited gift because the expiration date can happen any time, anywhere, and for whatever random reason. We must also accept that certain ages are certain phases of life and physicality.
At certain points there are things we will do less and less or we will do them differently or even not at all. While we move into the slowing down of mind and body, we never surrender into decline and isolation.
We actively live, move, and love. We move closer to our demise without even knowing when, but let us do so with much laughter, songs, and orgasmic moaning.
Even with the reality of pain, betrayals, and disappointments, we must live defiant in the face of these realities. We maximize each year and each decade of our lives as best and as much as we can.
What matters most…
The relationships and connections we have made.
The experiences and memories we acquired.
The wisdom from our mistakes.
The lives we have touched and changed.
The people who have touched and changed us.
The places we went to.
The home(s) we have created.
All the love and kindness we have given and received everyday.
Apology and forgiveness.
You are but a dot blipping in and then out of existence for a micro second in the unimaginable cosmic scale of the universe. Make it count and don’t be ashamed how you have grown even if you were just a blip.
