Dear Older Me,

I am thinking about the fact that today I am 56 years old. How can that be? I am not ashamed to tell my age, show my wrinkled hands or my “needs a touch up” grey head of hair. I am just glad I have more hair on my head than ends up in the drain every day that I wash it!

I decided to write a letter to the 86 year old me…..

Dear Tammy (Tamara since I am older and of course much wiser),

You have lived a good life. You didn’t always follow God’s advice and often took things into your own hands, but as you have aged you have learned that most of this life is simply out of your control. Your “Type A” personality still shows up sometimes, and although you always handed the “big” stuff over to the Father, you sometimes held on tight to the “little’ things. I think you learned from all the life experiences and did give the Father the glory.

As you aged over the years you eventually learned to prioritize and put things in perspective. Things that seemed to matter to you in your 20’s are now of little importance. You smile more, you take time to talk to those along the way and you make an effort to love on all the people you come in contact with as you go about your volunteer work and exercise classes..

And girlfriend, I love the wigs you wear! They look so natural and no one would ever know!

I am so glad you know. You understand. You have never turned away from the fact that the Father loves you with all His heart…unconditionally. That has been your foundation and your cornerstone. Never run from what you know to be true…don’t even walk slow from it!

You are an elderly lady. It is okay to laugh, be silly and dance a lot.

Dance as much as you can with that husband of yours. 69 years is a long time to have the same dance partner….so whether it is in a ballroom or the kitchen, do it with all the energy you have!