When I Grow Old....

I recently watched a sweet movie with Betty White entitled "The Lost Valentine." The actress plays a young  bride whose husband is sent off to war. His plane is shot down and he is MIA. The young woman is expecting her first child. She never remarries, but goes on with her life, always returning to the train station each Valentine's Day where she last saw the man she loved.

I know it's a cliche, but I'm a hopeless romantic. I love movies like this, even though real life is seldom as syrupy-sweet as the plot in a Hallmark movie.

When I grow old... I want to be like Betty White.
I want to live life to the fullest.
I want to smile and show my (make-believe) dimples.
I want to laugh heartily and always know what to say.

When I grow old.... I want to be the center of attention
When I blow out the candles on my birthday cake.
I want to wear the color red
And never leave home without my lipstick.

When I grow old ....I want to have lunch with friends
Where we can talk about anything
Except our aches and pains
And the medications the doctor prescribed

When I grow old ....I want to spend time
With my grandchildren as much as I can;
Entertain them with stories and jokes
And love them unconditionally

When I grow old ....I want to keep on learning
And work the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper;
Keep up with current affairs
And vote on Election Day.

When I grow old... I want to be on good terms with God
And hope that he remembers me,
So when it's time for me to go
He'll be there to welcome me home
When I grow old.

(c) Anita M. Ashworth 2011