Time to Reminisce

The Vicar at my church included these words in his sermon. They may have been written by an American soldier in WW2 and can be found on many websites. They are profoundly moving: “Look, God, I’ve never spoken to you, And now I want to say: “ How do you do?” You see, God, they told me you didn’t exist, And I, like a fool, believed all this. Last night, from a shell hole, I saw your sky, And I figured then they’d told me a lie. I wonder, God, if you’d take my poor hand? Somehow I feel you would understand. Strange I had to come to this hellish place Before I had time to see your face. Well, I guess there isn’t much more to say, But I’m glad, God, that I met you today. The zero hour will soon be here But I’m not afraid; because you are near. The signal has come, I shall soon have to go I like you lots - this I want you to know. I’m sure this’ll be a horrible fight: Who knows? I may come to your House tonight. Though I wasn’t friendly to you before, I wonder, God, if you’d wait at Your door? Look, I’m shedding tears, me shedding tears! Oh! How I wish I’d known you those long, long years. Well, I have to go now, dear God. Goodbye But now that I’ve met you, I’m not scared to die.”

When I was young, many years ago, my Dad always insisted on walking on the outside of the pavement i.e. next to the road, and my Mum did the same if we were out and about without my Dad. They said that it was to keep me safe from the traffic. Nowadays, parents let their children run far ahead of them at the edge of the road or wobble along on their little bikes or scooters. My heart is often in my mouth when I see these young children riding precariously near to cars and bikes which go speeding past. I always slow down and move into the middle of the road when possible. Am I old-fashioned for expecting young parents of today to be as caring and courteous as my parents were?

I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE IT, BUT I AM GUESSING IT WAS A SENIOR!!! I FIRST STARTED READING THIS AND WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS IS VERY THOUGHT-PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK. AND THEN IT IS WINTER You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change....Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit! And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's NOT over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime. So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past! "Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY! REMEMBER:.... "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. " LIVE HAPPY IN THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR! LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS. ~Your kids are becoming you....... ~Going out is good.. Coming home is better! ~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!! ~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything ~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore. ~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep". ~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.. ~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... "what?" . ??? ~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere. ~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!! ~What used to be freckles are now liver spots. ~Everybody whispers. ~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear. ~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!! Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

How many of us have looked at old family photos and wondered who they portray or wished that they had asked parents/grandparents about their history? Now is the time to get those old photos out and try and name the faces and places and to start and set down their memories of days past. A lot of real personal history must have been lost because we were too busy at the time to ask our relatives these questions. If you are wondering how to preserve old photos this feature may be helpful  - https://www.silversurfers.com/lifestyle/preserve-family-heirlooms/

I am retired and spend my free time restoring Silver Cross vintage prams. I particularly love the twin prams. It all started with the arrival of my first grandchild some 10 years ago. I was shocked by the both the price of the current models available and the quality. They are just not the same as they once were ! Upon investigation, I discovered that the Silver Cross went out of business in the 1980's. Different manufacturers have bought the right to continue with a limited range but try hard to move away from the "built to last" approach...like so many other products. If you have pram that you are want to re home or have restored, then please contact me as I would love to hear from you, particularly if you have a hardbodied twin pram

G'day fellow SilverSurfers. Back on line and in W. Australia again after a month in W. Europe. Boy is Switzerland expensive these days, almost as dear as here in Aus But now jet-lagged a thing of yesterday or so, my emails caught up, said the hellos and so on to my friends and family and as it is winter here threw a log on the fire to celebrate my 76 ( a couple of days back) I still wonder what happened to and where they are nos - my many friends and neighbours when I lived in Stretford/Old Trafford There were so many good guys when we all felt invincible. Maybe, as I did, they all packed their bags and left the area which is why they are so hard to get in touch with. But I do believe there will be many a good tale to tell if I can make contact So if any old Stretfordians are reading this maybe they would care to make a comment. Shame even the old Stretford Grammar School on Greatstone Road is no longer

I am trying to locate a man I met on March 17th in Cheltenham , he was here from London visiting the races . We met in a club in Cheltenham called under the prom at around 11pm and danced and laughed until 5am.... His name is Glen aged 50 and all I know is he works in IT , his company I believe . He was with friends Simon and Jack and jacks brother whose name escapes me ... Does anyone know of these men , Glen in particular... We were meant to exchange numbers and didn't get round to it . Would love to get in touch with him . Here's hoping 😊

Can anyone remember fish and chips eaten out of newspaper, and sitting in the back row of the local picture house.

As a child. living in Moss Side Manchester, I grew up, playing happily in the garden at the front, (My gran had a big house, with three or four floors) and walking to school was fun, Going to the shop was even better, If went into the Greengrocer. for the veg etc, I was given an apple,, the sweet shop,a lolly pop, for waiting patiently, these were from the owners, How times have changed, We could play for hours everyone was friendly, now you are lucky if you know more than a handful of neighbours, and because the local shops, are few and far between. How I miss those days. Does anyone else have these memories ? Our children / grandchildren might have all the technology but they are missing out on so, much, What do you think?

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I remember listening to this whenever I could way back when. Does anyone else remember the programme?