I know this is October, but I was just thinking about the song, “Oh it’s a long, long time from May to December.  But the days grow short when you reach September.”  Maybe you too can remember Frank Sinatra singing these lyrics to September Song.

“Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn’t got time for the waiting game.”*

I recently returned from a reunion of close group of college friends.  It’s been sixty years since we graduated together. In the past few years we have said good-bye to six friends; our number now down to 18, if I counted correctly.   It’s been a good ride, but time is running out.  Our original five-year reunions are now annual.  Even at that, I can’t help wondering who may be missing next time. In this nostalgic mood about our “golden years,” I turned to see what the Lord had to say to us.

“And I will still be carrying you when you are old.  Your hair will turn gray and I will still carry you.  I made you, and I will carry you to safety.”  Isaiah 46:4   What reassurance to know that even as we grow old, even as our bodies don’t work so well, we are still being “carried to safety.”

As we grieve the loss of those who have gone on before us, we are reminded, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”  Psalm 116:15  Our departed dear ones are not just precious in our memory, but precious in the sight of the Lord!

We can’t change the course of our journey, a journey that takes us down those “autumn days of life.”  We can be thankful for the privilege of these days.  If you too find yourself at this “certain age,” you can smile with the reassurance that our God still carries you, that you are wrapped in the protection of his unconditional love.

 Judy

*September Song, Words Maxwell Anderson, Music Kurt Weill.