I had a conversation with a friend about age and how old is too old to work.  I told them my friend worked as a manager for a grocery store for 43 years and worked for the school system another 26 years and baled hay while working for the school.  He continues to work even now at 88.  Though he tires more easily now, he continues to take care of his cattle, works in his shop, plants rye grass in his pastures, mows along the highway, takes care of all of his many knockout roses and azaleas.  He works all of the time and is a good friend to many who know him.

We are never too old to accomplish many things in this life.

“And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh.”     (Exodus 7:7)

“And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.  And Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.”     Genesis 7:6

“Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an 100 years old?  and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?”     Genesis 17:17

“When asked how it was that she had lived so long, one 91 year old woman replied, “I think God is testing the patience of my relatives.”

When is too old?  At what age do we give up?  At 100, Grandma Moses was still painting; Titian painted “Battle of Lepants” when he was 98.

At 93, George Bernard Shaw wrote “Farfetched Fables.”

At 91, Eamon de Valera served as president of Ireland.

At 90, Pablo Picasso still drew and engraved.

At 89, Arthur Rubinstein gave one of his greatest recitals in New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Pablo Casals, at 88, still performed cello concerts.

At 82, Winston Churchill wrote the four volume work, “A History of the English Speaking Peoples.”   Leo Tolstoy completed “I Cannot Be Silent,” and Goethe, at the same age, finished “Faust.”

At 81, Benjamin Franklin engineered the diplomacy which led to the United States Constitution.

When are you too old?  Only on the day when you truly have nothing left to give.  And the good news is this:  that day never has to arrive!”      ~ Goodier

“The wisdom and experience of older people is a resource of inestimable worth.  Recognizing and treasuring the contributions of older people is essential to the long-term flourishing of any society.”    ~ Ikeda

Eileen Light