I was talked to a lady at the hospital one time who was telling me what it was like to be over 90 years old. She told me, “I’ve been around a long time. You can be 93 looking to turn 94 but there ain’t much future in it. You’ve already done most of the things you’re gonna do. That’s why us old people, our minds live in the past so much. We will never go on cruises again or take vacations. All you can do is tell stories…hopefully you will have somebody around who wants to listen to those stories.” You can bet I sat around for a good while listening to her stories. She shared freely and openly about the battles and the blessings, and the hopes and heartaches that she has endured throughout the years. She had some good stories to tell and I was blessed by the time we spent together.

Her initial statement about there not being a lot of future in “being 93 looking to turn 94” reminded of the prayer of Moses in Psalm 90:12 where he says, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” As that psalm points out, our time is fleeting and it is wise to cherish the time we have. We should view each day as an opportunity to make a good story, maybe a new story. Maybe part of that good story will be taking the time to stop and listen to a story that someone else has to share. Yes, we would surely be blessed by prayerfully asking God to teach us to number our days.