Do you agree that a healthy old person is qualified to give healthy aging tips ?
Our attitude towards aging is significant. Do we embrace, or fear aging ?
Josh Shipp, in his writing, reminds us all that we have a choice of becoming better or bitter. We need to choose whether we will allow the ‘gift of years’ to make us better people who share joy with others, or whether we will become bitter, through focusing on the inevitable changes and losses that we all experience on our earthly pilgrimage.
There is only one letter change between ‘better’ and ‘bitter’, but it brings such a difference in meaning.
I begin each morning with thanksgiving that I have been given another day to grow closer to the Lord.
Then I anticipate the blessings that the day is sure to bring.
God delights in giving us good gifts.
Here, the sounds of the sea are soothing , seagulls put on great acrobatic displays of flying in front of our windows, and, many evenings, the sky will put on incredible shows of colour.
Let us ask for the grace to pay attention to the large and small wonders around us everywhere.
An attitude of gratitude pleases the Lord, and it will serve us well as the years go by.
Photo of a Newfoundland outport by Simeon Miller

Thereβs only one letters difference between bitter and better. In other words itβs a matter of perspective. Thank you, Sally!
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Hi David !
Yes, one letter can make such a difference !
While at graduate school, I worked as a proofreader for a newspaper part-time, and that showed me the importance of each letter.
Thanks for your comment. π€πΌ
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Your day starts much the same way mine does, except for the sounds of the sea. Happiness is not a cause for gratitude, it is the result.
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Excellent – Yes, for sure, ‘happiness is the result of gratitude’.
Thanks, Ann. π€
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See sunset views here in Lebanon…
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Wow ! Fantastic.
Thanks for sharing.
I think sunset is the favourite part of my day. π€
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All are well…A few days ago , I saw the moon turning orange before setting in the dawn …
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That sounds so beautiful. π€
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This reminds me of a book called the game of life and how to play it…
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That is a great book, by Florence Scovell Shinn.
I have read a summary of it.
It is good to advise people of certain attitudes that will bring happiness.
Thanks. π€
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I heard part of the audiobook on youtube…
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this is such a beautiful reminder Sally……….i start each day saying at least one thing I am grateful for that day, out loud. I try hard to be grateful in every moment…….even though it can be very difficult.
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Hi Wendi !
I like your idea of saying the things you are grateful for out loud.
Thanks for your comment. π€πΌ
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my pleasure………..may your day be blessed!
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Your perspective is excellent Sally, starting each day thankfully regardless of how one’s body feels is positive and Biblical too. God bless you sister.
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Great post to act as a reminder how to stay positive. I like the sunset view. It’s beautiful!
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ThΓ nks so much. π€
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Most welcome!
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I prefer aging to the alternative…
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π
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I choose better because bitter is a toxic & unhealthy way to live and it saddens the heart of God.
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Yes, for sure, bitter ‘saddens the heart of God’
Thanks, Barb. π€
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Beautiful and thought-provoking as always. I see aging as a gift. I’m grateful to still be here, to have my health, and to be able to look back with thanks for all the good I have experienced. I can trace the loving hand of God in every season …. and I certainly want my future to be better, not bitter. Blessings, Sally!
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Thanks so much. I agree, aging is a gift, and yes, as you say, it is ‘good to trace the loving hand of God in every season’ . π€
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That picture is absolutely stunning.
There is only a letter difference between the words better and bitter – wow, so true. It truly is a choice and a matter of perspective and gratitude.
Thank you Sally.
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Thanks so much for your kind comment.
Yes, for sure, ‘perspective and gratitude’ are important. π€
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I agree it is important to count our blessings, be thankful, and strive to be better, not bitter.
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Beautiful picture, Sally!!
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Thanks, Mandy. π€β
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Iβm thankful too for the opportunity to live, grow older, and gain godly wisdom. God is faithful. Thanks Sally!
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Reblogged this on Nelson MCBS.
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Thank-you. π€βπΌ
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Welcome
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I am grateful for my ageing years
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Your blog posts are very interesting and inspiring. π€
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Thanks very much, Sally.
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‘Better’, ‘Bitter’, ‘Butter’, ‘Batter’. Sorry… π
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Haha….the power of one letter is amazing….π
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Nicely done, Sally! Good message presented in such a clear, interesting manner. Nice pic, too! BTW, I prefer sunrises to sunsets, although both are pretty. I just am happier to see the sun rise and the day begin. Grace!
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Sally, I so agree. We have a choice to be bitter or better. We can hold hands with grief and joy at the same time. π₯° Thank you for your words.
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Thanks, Debra. Yes, for sure, we can ‘hold hands with grief and joy at the same time’.
May God, by his grace, help us to grow continually better, and not bitter. π€π·
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Thank you! A most significant and timely post my dear. Personally, I like the wrinkles forming around my face; it reminds me of all the effort I put into things over the years.
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Hi Jason !
Yes, I agree with you. Thanks for your comment. π€π·
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Excellent perspective and advice! Thank you, Sally!
Yes, God puts His wonders all around us. Sometimes we have to believe it before we are able to see it. π
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Thanks for your kind comment. π€
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Being elderly means that you have had a long and healthy life. So yes, you have all the right to tell it authoritatively how you lived all those years and what young people should do to make it to your age without getting diseased!
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Hi Carrie !
Thanks for your kind comment.
Yes, for sure, the foundation for healthy aging is laid when people are young.
The healthy habits formed in youth create a graceful aging process.
As you write, oral health is such an important part of healthy aging.
Nice to hear from you. π€π·
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You are most welcome!
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Bitter or better…I like that!
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Hi Sally: “Happiness is the result, not the cause, of gratitude.” So true! In addition, I’ve long felt that God is much more interested in our character development than He is in our happiness, so if we allow Him to mold our character so we are more Christlike we will ultimately find ourselves to be more happy as a result.
So once again, happiness is the result rather than the cause.
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I think I need such reminders daily Sally….I’ve been struggling with it off late….lovely post…thanks for sharing πππ
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Amen. God lies in the details of our gratitude πππππ
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Beautiful post! I couldn’t agree more. Thank you so much. This post made me feel so much better.
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