I am old now.

Thomas' class put on a show for at a local old age home. It was both beautiful and sad. That is what this poem is all about.

I am Old Now

The sign above the entrance reads " Service Center"
A sea of grey hair was spread out in front of us.
They wait so still, so patiently for us
to come and bring in cheer
with flowers and smiles and songs
we brighten their day.

You were there too.

Once you were full,
full of life and energy,
Once time ruled you like a fist
as you were rushed about by the real demands of this life.
But now, time spreads endlessly before you
like a flat, still ocean.
What does time hold for you today?

Once , not so long ago, noise and purpose filled your day
But now you rest and wait in the stillness of The Home.
Before your busy hands helped those who you love and cared for
but now unknown hands lift you up so you can stand
and walk
and go where you are told to go.

When time was young and life was full
You kept yourself busy with the things of life.
You crammed your brain with words from books you loved
You allowed your thoughts to focus and grow
But now you thoughts are hard to contain
They flow here and there and words ramble
and confuse themselves.

When you look in the mirror
where once a young face stared back
with expectation and confidence
now the eyes that gaze back at you
are old and lost
hidden in the wrinkles of skin stretched by life
held up by a bent and broken body
frail and brittle.

And so you wait
the fullness of your life has passed
for you and so you wait......

What are you waiting for?
Do you still have hopes and dreams ?
Or have you said goodbye to these
buried beneath a pile of a shattered life?

A strong wooden cross stands tall
It casts a shadow over all the grey,
old people in The Home.
You are there too.
It stands tall and strong
He calls to those who sit expectantly beneath it

While the body ages
and does not last; while you wait for death
look to the cross that stands so tall and strong
so that you can wait with hope and real expectation.
For the One who rules and loves is the One who died
so that this curse called aging and death
would loose its sting.

Wait knowing that the One who died for you
is eagerly , patiently waiting
for you.

So when the body breaks a grows oh so weary
Take heart in your spirit oh soul
for God is not finished with you yet
and when he is done
and you have run His race
the waiting will be done
you will be going home.