My Favorite Senior Moments

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Authors: Karen O'Connor

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HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked
NASB
are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (
www.Lockman.org
)

Verses marked
NLT
are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

Cover photos © Dugan Design Group; guru3d / Fotolia

Published in association with Books & Such Management, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370,
www.booksandsuch.com

MY FAVORITE SENIOR MOMENTS

Copyright © 2015 by Karen O'Connor

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-5960-5 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5961-2 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

O'Connor, Karen, 1938-

My favorite senior moments / Karen O'Connor.

pages cm

1. Older Christians—Religious life. 2. Aging—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

BV4580.O375 2015

248.8'5—dc23

2014021859

All rights reserved.
No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author's and publisher's rights is strictly prohibited.

Dedication

To my hiking pals.

Acknowledgments
 

My thanks to these men and women who contributed suggestions, ideas, and their own experiences as “story seeds” that I used, with their permission, to write this book.

Phyllis Allen • Pat Baer • Diane Barker • Mary Battmer • Kris Flynn • Bill Giovannetti • Lisa Hamil • Judi Hill • Ginger Ramin Hixson • Cathy Hopper • Jade Kinnaman • Charlie Levine • Carol Nicolet Loewen • Margaret Mayhew • June O'Connor • Mary Panhorst • Donna Poole • Linda Evans Shepherd • Peggy Smith • Janet Thompson • Sherry VanZante • Sandra Victor • Peggy Sue Wells • Bess Whitaker • Dawn Wilson • Connie Bertelsen Young

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

A Note from Karen

Looking Good

1. Whose Face Is That?

2. Trashed Hopes

3. Romeo, Romeo…

4. Happy Golden Years

5. Loafin' Around

6. A Loooong Time!

7. The New Dress

8. Pretty in Purple

9. Catch of the Day

10. Check, Check, Check!

11. Facin' Facts

12. Not Again…

13. A Real Donation

Age-Old Challenges

14. Licensed to Age

15. My Way or the Highway

16. Somewhere in the Middle

17. Nice Place to Be

18. Choosing to Believe

19. New to Eighty

20. Not So Easy

21. What Day Is It?

22. Bad Hair Day

23. Too Hot!

24. Membership Closed

25. Charge!

26. The Perils of Smoking

27. Oh, No!

At Play

28. A Small World

29. Dad's Turn

30. Weather Rewind

31. Window Shopping

32. Turtle Race

33. Front to Back

34. Duck Hunting

35. Fire!

36. Still Alive and Kickin'

Aren't They Grand?

37. It's Not What It Looks Like

38. Who's Older?

39. Making a Mess

40. Save, Save, Save

41. Grandpets

42. I Won't Tell…

43. Humor Helps

44. Bowled Over

45. Clever Guy

46. Still Together!

Sweets for the Sweet

47. A Life Saver

48. A Happy Surprise

49. Sweet Potatoes

50. Trying to Be Helpful

51. With and Without

52. Not So Bad After All

Foodies

53. Under a Tack!

54. Awful Waffles

55. A Plateful of Love

56. Iced Water

57. Half Full?

58. A Good Suggestion

59. A Little Service, Please

60. Peace at Any Price

61. An Unusual Tea

62. Steak-Frites

63. Give Credit When Credit Is Due

64. Shrimp for Two

Flying High

65. A Lethal Weapon

66. The Weather Wins

67. A Real Shaker

68. Check In

69. Zoned Out

70. Famous for a Day

Wordy Ones

71. Half-Wits

72. Our Know-It-All Friend

73. Remotely Speaking

74. What a Relief

75. Love that Little Child

76. Patience Relations

77. Sign of the Times?

78. Hey, Sugar!

79. It's a Wrap

80. Facebook Fuss

81. What a Crab!

82. Questionable Company

83. You've Got Mail

84. Con… conso… consol…

Slip-Ups

85. Far Enough

86. Oh, Baby!

87. Savin' a Buck

88. Out on a Limb

89. A Tale of Two Earrings

90. Watch It!

91. Close Call

92. Double Trouble

93. Which Would You Choose?

94. Seeing Clearly

95. The Deposit

96. Double Vision

More Great Books by Karen O'Connor!

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.

P
SALM
126:2

A Note from Karen

Do you, like
me, sometimes look in the mirror and wonder whose face that is? You no longer see the handsome dude of 50 years ago or the glamorous gal with long red hair who was voted homecoming queen in high school.
Ack!
The years have gone by quickly, and suddenly we're facing the second half of life… or maybe the last quarter. It can be a discouraging prospect if we let it be. But it can also be one of the best seasons of our lives if we choose to make it so.

One thing always cheers me up—knowing I'm not alone. Other people are looking in the mirror too and deciding how they will live these final chapters of their lives. Will we choose love and laughter or fear and worry? I choose love and laughter! In that vein, I've compiled some of my favorite senior moments from my life and from the lives of others to help you choose the funny side of the street too.

I hope these stories and prayers encourage you to look at life from the positive, sunny side of the street so you can continue to live wholeheartedly—especially knowing that God is with you… and always will be.

Karen O'Connor

Watsonville, California

Looking Good

1

Whose Face Is That?

Louann's granddaughter Chloe
was quick to tell her grandmother she had the figure of a teenager—but then she added these dreaded words: “Well, I mean, except for your face.”

That did it. Louann ran to the bathroom as soon as Chloe left for home. The sweet girl didn't mean to hurt her feelings. She was just speaking the truth. But still, it did hurt to hear it put so bluntly. Louann knew she looked older—but really old? “I'm not ready for that,” she murmured to her reflection. “Lord, whose face is that in the mirror? It can't be mine. Why, it seems just yesterday that I looked like her.” Louann pointed to a photo on the wall of her sister Amy and herself taken when they were in high school.

Louann moved to the living room and surveyed her wedding photo and then one of her first child, Robert, and her on his fifth birthday.

“I was a pretty good-looking chick in those days. What happened?”

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