Dear Friends and Supporters, 

Have ya’ll made your New Year’s resolutions ?? We were riding  down the rode the other day trying to think of all the things we could or could not do in 2008. You know, like "don't be late in 2008". That’s a real good one for us. Or "will you graduate in 2008"? Better study hard! "Let’s lose some weight in 2008". We could all benefit by that one. Given a little thought you could probably come up with some pretty interesting things for 2008.

One thing we want to do for 2008 is visit even more senior citizens than we have thus far. We need to stop discounting their value. They can teach us so very much even in their infirmities. I was watching a woman just the other day. We were invited to eat at a retirement center in the dining room with the residents there. Next to us was a woman whom we later found out was 90 years old. She was very aware of everything going on around her but she needed a little help. Her daughter was helping her with her food. She cut it up and arranged it on her plate so she could manage her lunch. But she did it with such care and tenderness so as to assist her but yet not to treat her as a child. I thought it was great. I wondered which one of my six children would do that for me if I ever got in that position. It amazes me how the task of  being cared for reverses itself in our lives. We care for our children when they are young and fragile and they end up taking care of us when we are old  and fragile. And the cycle goes on. I can't help but remember when my children were little and I was a frazzled mother  with much to do. I was not always as patient as I am today. On one particular stressful day I was dealing with my oldest son’s attempts at feeding himself and ended up dumping the bowl of cereal on his head!! I know that was not the best way to deal with that situation. But they say what goes around comes around and now I'm wandering if I'm am going to end up with a bowl of soggy cereal on my head by the hands of one of my sweet and precious children?!

It is also said that when a person has dementia or Alzheimer's disease that their true character comes out. Well I've always considered myself to be reasonably happy and easy to get along with. What if I was wrong??! Will I turn into some ogre that no one wants to be around? The thought can be quite unsettling. I'm sure you all don't sit around mulling over these matters but when you see it every day it does come to mind.

Anyway we are excited about our 2008 calendar and we are looking forward to visiting all our senior friends and making many new ones. We are also very much looking forward to visiting all our supporting churches and reporting all about our travels, as well as the dear friends they help us minister to. I hope you all are looking forward to all the wonderful things the Lord is going to bring into your lives if you will seek His will and do it!!   

Till next time ------!!                ….......  Roxann Hinkle