Just look at that beautiful face in the picture above.  Doesn’t it make you smile…give you pause… ? Doesn’t she remind you of someone you know…or someone you would like to know?  Now, if you will, keep her face in your mind as you read the selection below.

 

Myself Growing Older

                                                                by Marsie Silvestro

Here I am becoming clear

Standing strong, from my years.

I am woman growing older

Finding life in myself

Finding truth in myself

Being free.

See the lines around my eyes,

Stories lived, tears I’ve cried

I am woman growing older

Finding beauty in myself

Finding strength in myself

Being strong.

I have loved, hurt, and healed

Found my dreams keep me real

I am woman growing older.

Finding peace in myself

Finding love in myself.

Growing old

I am clear, I am free.

I am growing strong

Here I am…I am here.

Can’t you just imagine her saying these words? I can and this makes me so happy, so proud. Why? Because she is so familiar to me. She is my sisters, my sister-in-law, my cousins, my friends.  These words are their words. I hear them spoken whenever we are together. And I see this woman’s face whenever I look into theirs.

It was pure happenstance that I came upon these words last week. Desperate for inspiration, I was combing through my old journals. And here was this single, unattached piece of notepaper bearing, in my handwriting, the words of this song.  They were the basis for what I entered into my journal on that Tuesday, January 30th, 1990. They made me think of my Mom, who had died 10 years prior at the much too young age of 62. I wrote with sadness that day, not only for my loss, but mostly for my Mom who never reached the point in her life where she would have been able to feel what Ms. Silvestro was feeling when she penned these words.  My Mom was never able to experience the blessings of growing older, stronger, freer. I was then, and still am, so sorry for this. I feel the sadness even more so now that I understand even more fully what it is she missed.

I am finding great peace and strength in aging. I understand myself so much better than I did as a younger woman. The years have gifted me with more understanding, deeper compassion and an innate empathy. I feel things much more intensely than ever before. Laughter  and tears are unconstrained…spontaneous. Importantly, I have been able to let go. All these shifts I truly value and embrace.. I am so thankful for all the years past, and even in the midst of today’s unrest, I am holding firmly to hope for our future.

I am confident that I am speaking on behalf of so many of us. Witness our relationships and listen to our conversations. They are replete with immense positive energies that can only stem from the experience of years. We are reaping the benefits that a long life offers. So, I believe we each can echo the words…

I am growing strong

Here I am…I am here!