You can't go wrong with a book whose first sentence is: "Aging is a gift and a blessing." The author, Richard Bimler, was former president of Wheat Ridge Ministries and serves part-time as the Ambassador of Health, Hope, and Aging, Lutheran Life Communities. His role is to speak on behalf of older adults and encourage older adult ministries in Christian churches.
Bimler's enthusiasm shines through this rousing collection of essays in support of active elders. As children of God, the old are "aha!" people who face each day with vim and vigor. They are "yes" people who have experienced so many delights and triumphs that they exude positivity.
For the author, laughter and old age go together like a horse and carriage. Bimler wisely explores the three R's of aging: 1. Remembering, 2. Reframing, and 3. Rejoicing. Some of the challenges covered in this paperback are keeping your aging bodies well, looking for hope in all the right places, mattering and mentoring, making others look good, grandparenting, and dying well.
We especially liked Bimler's "God sightings" (seeing the Divine presence in others), his "bucket list" of everyday experiences, and a responsive reading that celebrates elder ministries. A quotation from the book which stayed in our mind is from Henri J. M. Nouwen:
"When we live from God's breath we recognize with joy that the same breath that keeps us alive is also the source of life for our brothers and sisters."
