Arranging the Mind

Every day one gets so many e-mails from acquaintances and friends that sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming. Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful to have friends that think of me at all, even if it is to be included in a batch list of people I probably will never meet. The problem is that I feel guilty if we delete them without reading them, as if anyone knew or even cared. Are there special rules of e-mail etiquette?

Occasionally there will be one that rings a chord in your heart. I received this one today and it summed up my unconscious aspirations of how I want to be in my (hopefully far away) dotage:

There was a 92 year old woman who was legally blind. In spite of her limitation, she was always neatly dressed, with her hair carefully brushed and her makeup tastefully applied. Each morning she would meet the new day with eagerness.

After her husband of 70 years died, it became necessary for her to go to a nursing home where she could receive proper care. On the day of the move, a helpful neighbor drove her there and guided her into the lobby. Her room wasn't ready, so she waited patiently in the lobby for several hours.

When an attendant finally came for her, she smiled sweetly as she maneuvered the walker to the elevator. The staff member described her room to her, including the curtains that had been hung on the windows. "I love it," she declared. "But Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen your room yet," the attendant replied. "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she said. "Happiness is something you choose. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how it's arranged. It's how I arrange my mind."

My scripture for the day:
I Thess. 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

After meditating on how I want to be like this lady in MY old age, the Lord revealed to me:
I will be like that when I am old, if I practice that level of gratitude and optimism now.
Do I meet each day with eagerness? Am I patient when I am kept waiting or I sigh and look at the receptionist anxiously to see whether I have been forgotten in the doctor's/dentist offices? Maybe I'd better start practicing.