HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT YOUR 90- YEAR- OLD MIND IS ‘CATCHING UP’ WITH YOUR 90-YEAR-OLD BODY?

I think I figured it out tonight.

I’m booking my travel  for an exciting “trip-around-America ” arranged by my children for my 90th birthday, to visit all my family..  I started out in Phoenix last month, and tonight I scheduled flights to  go to Portland in April   and Chicago over the fourth of July.

Here’s where the mind began to deteriorate. In the intricate  (to me)selection  of points versus dollars (on South West  Airlines) I tried to figure out which leg of the flight would be cheaper –to use points or dollars? Jumping back and forth between schedules, I suspected SW was playing tricks on me.  Every time I scrolled back to the outgoing flight, the dollars seemed to be getting higher, and the points even worse.

I could feel my blood pressure rising.  I had to settle something quickly — and clicked PURCHASE  for the Portland booking.  Then on to Chicago. Of course prices would be higher over the fourth of July weekend, so I  grabbed the cheapest flight in the middle of the day and hit PURCHASE again.

Oh No!  I had booked my flight from Denver to Portland and to Chicago on the same day– same air time. and double the price.  Of course an old lady who has trouble getting out of chairs (soft, low ones of course) shouldn’t  be booking air flights on a complicated high-tech computer at her bed-time.

It made me think of Katharine Bushnell, protagonist of my two recent historical novels. Kate had to make her own travel arrangements to China, England, India,  Australia, New Zealand and the Far East,.  Each time she went in person to the office of the steamship company.   Often funds came in at the last minute. If you’ve read Daughters of Deliverance or The Queen’s Daughters,  you’ll admire her resilience and courage as I do.

I suspect there were times she wondered if she was making the right choices.  Her strong faith in God’s provision and direction enabled her to take risks for  Him. At 92 her body was growing weaker, but her keen mind was still sensitive to His call.  Finding her eulogy enabled me to add that crowning touch to her story.