Youth and Age

Age is an interesting thing. Only children use fractions to tell their age. "I'm four and a half." You're never twenty three and a half or thirty six and a half.

You get into your teens, now there is no holding back. You jump to the next number or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm going to be 16." You could be 13, but hey, you're going to be 16! and then the greatest day of your life...you BECOME 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. You BECOME 21. Yesss!

But then, you TURN 30. Ooooh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He turned. We had to throw him out. There's no fun now. You're just a sour dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa. Put on the brakes. It's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and you're dreams are gone.

But, wait... you MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would. So, you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40 , REACH 50 and MAKE IT to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70. After that is is day-to-day, You HIT Wednesday.

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle. You HIT lunch. You TURN 4:30, you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into your 90's you start going backwards. "I'm just 92."

Then a strange thing happens. You make is over 100. You become a little kid again. "I'm just 100 and a half."

The Lady Deserves a Medal!

How many people can say they have been married for 58 years? Joyce Worsencroft Ball and I celebrated our 58th anniversary in July. She was 19 years old and I was 20. Just a couple of kids who were ready for a new life. Our union resulted in four wonderful daughters; four great authentic achiever sons-in-law; 15 grandchildren and two great grandchildren (and another due in January.) We have traveled the world together, visiting every continent and 46 of the 50 states. My jobs necessited a great deal of travel and entertaining and she was always the gracious hostess and non-complaining traveler..

On Growing Old

Old age is winter, alas for many people, but for those who are wise and optimistic, it is a happy and fruitful time of harvest.

Is someone declares that he is able to do everything at sixty that he was able to do at twenty, then he was not doing very much at twenty.

As one grows old, one generally rids himself of his shortcomings because they no longer serve any useful purpose.

The good side of this, as old as one might be, is that one is always younger than he will ever be.

The person who considers himself too old to learn something has probably always felt that way.

Old age embellishes everything. It has the effect of the setting sun on the beautiful sunsets of autumn.

Great Grandbabies

Jack Jeffrey Dibblee

Eloise May Morrison

Some people ask, "Is there anything good about growing older?" Absolutely! One thing for certain is the blessing of family and greeting new members to the group. Recently, I have had the great joy of welcoming two new GREAT grand babies to the Ball Thundering Herd.