25 years from now.

I sit alone.  I wonder if my family will visit me soon… or not.  Twilight is here… on another day, and on a life lived.  I hear only my whisper.  

Then…

a handwritten letter arrives.

Encouraging. Thoughtful. Uplifting. Beautiful.  

I try to imagine the author.  Leaning over a table, pen in hand, writing my name, thinking about who I might be.  Thinking about … me!  

My heart beats stronger.  Wrinkles near my eyes fold closed as I grin.  In this moment… I matter.  This moment!  Not the past I recall, or the question of a future… this moment.

I read the letter again… and then sit, warmly appreciating a new friend.

I’ve wondered about how my life will wind down.  I’m not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of loneliness.  Belonging fuels me more than any meal.  Connection strengthens me more than any exercise.  I don’t need to be validated… just seen.  I’m pretty sure others share my fear.  And, I’m pretty sure some are living it.

Yet today, I found hope… sitting next to me in a coffee shop.

On this Wednesday before Thanksgiving, a group of young women enjoyed several hours together, writing heart-warming cards to residents of a local retirement community.  It was pretty cool to see.  

Their act of caring and connection tells me we are gonna be o.k.  These members of HOSA- Future Health Professionals will be the ones caring for us in years to come, and they started today… during a holiday break from Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, WA.

We’re in good hands.

I love the power of words… and of intentional living.  These awesome young women bring both to life… and so can we… all of us. 

Keep caring, and keep Believing in Better!