Insights on Getting Older

For those of us who are getting older, here is a poem written to a son/daughter that you might enjoy. To my knowledge, the author is unknown.

When I spill some food on my nice clean shirt,
or maybe forget to tie my shoe,
please be patient and perhaps reminisce
about the many hours I spent with you.

When I taught you to eat with care,
plus tying laces and your numbers, too.
Dressing yourself and combing your hair.
Those were precious hours spent with you.

So when I forget what I was about to say,
Just give me a minute – or maybe two.
It probably wasn’t important anyway,
and I would much rather listen just to you.

If I tell the story one more time,
and you know the ending through and through.
Please remember your first nursery rhyme,
when I rehearsed it a hundred times with you.

When my legs are tired and its hard to stand
or walk the steady pace that I would like to do.
Please take me carefully by my hand.
And guide me now as I often did for you.

Author Unknown

Emailed Funnies…….

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, 'How old was your husband?' '98,' she replied, 'Two years older than me' 'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented. She responded , 'Hardly worth going home, isn’t it?


Reporter interviewing a 104-year-old woman: 'And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?' the reporter asked.. She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'


I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia .. Have poor circulation; Hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 89 or 98. Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver's license.

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Quote for the month:
Garrison Keillor once wrote, “You may as well go ahead and live your life because your obituary is bound to be a big disappointment.”

Hello Treasure Beach

Here is a view of article appearing in August 2009 issue of First Coast Communities Journal...

It is good to be back in Treasure Beach after visiting relatives in upstate New York over July 4th. It rained frequently during the two weeks that I was there. However, I did enjoy the milder temperatures (low 40s to high 50s at night, and mid 60s to high 70s during the day).

I have been catching up on all the back issues of St. Augustine Record that I missed while I was away. Sorry to hear about the death of Don and Pat Hankey on Puebla Road. What is most disturbing to me is that the police weren’t called until someone reported a foul smell coming from their house. On the street where you live, do you at least know the neighbor on your right, left and across the street? We are an older community and each of us needs to be aware of our neighbors and surroundings. We do have a neighborhood watch program in this community. But like all organizations, it is dependent on volunteers from the community. On a daily basis, you may see some of your neighbors riding up and down the streets in cars/bicycles to help patrol and assure that our community tries to remain as safe as possible for all the residents (renters or owners). However, as much as the neighborhood watch might be able to do, it is important that each of us, as residents of this community, watch out for each other as well.

We now have an active website and this monthly newsletter. If you have any news to report or an article to contribute, please contact one of us.

A thank you to all my friends and neighbors.

Hello all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my repaired heart for all the prayers, cards, emails and phone calls as well as visits to the hospital and our home after my surgery for open heart surgery.Words seem to be inadequate for me to  express my feelings of your kindness and concern for me. I am truly humbled by this. I will never forget your words of encouragement to mend quickly.   I always thought that this operation was done everyday and thus almost likened to a simple tonsillectomy. Boy was I wrong. It is a Major Operation . I am however recovering ever so slowly.   Once again , Thank you for your cards, emaills and well wishes for a speedy recovery.     Charlie Novak

August 2009 Newsletter

I can't believe I'm writing the August, 2009 newsletter already! I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration. Hopefully you saw some fire works, even if they were ones you did at home! Ron and I are getting to the age where we don't like to go downtown and fight the crowds anymore!

We can never forget why we, as a country, celebrate the Fourth of July. The lifestyles we live today are possible because of Independence Day. We all need to remember that FREEDOM isn't FREE. A lot of lives have been sacrificed and people have been disabled fighting for our freedoms.

Some of you might ask.....what freedoms? We take a lot of our freedoms for granted. Freedom to attend the church, synagogue, mosque of our choice; the freedom to hold Tea Parties, the freedom to buy our groceries when and where we please, the freedom of speech, the freedom to dress the

way we like (even though some people should be forced to look in a mirror before leaving home!) You get the point. Never forget that our freedoms are worth fighting for or we WILL lose those freedoms.

I apologize....every month it's a different soap box!!!!

OUR WALKWAY:

Some of you may have already noticed by now that our new walkway is under attack! The Seychelles Homeowner Association has issues with our walkway and one of the property owners decided to take matters into his own hands. Rest assured the Board Members of TBPOA are addressing the situation and hope to see the walkway back in place in the near future.

IN THE MEANTIME, please be EVEN MORE careful while crossing over to the beach. We feel the walkway has been left in a precarious condition and we don't want anyone injured.

And, as I have mentioned before, please DO NOT RIDE BICYCLES OR SKATEBOARDS ON THE WALKWAY.

COMMUNITY TRAGEDY:

We lost two more members of our community recently. Mr. and Mrs Hankey, who lived on Puebla, passed away in their home. We all want to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of the Hankey's.

Please remember to check on your neighbors periodically. Especially if they are elderly.

VOLUNTEER PICNIC:

We would like to have another volunteer picnic this year. We've had them in the past and they were a lot of fun. I like seeing the people in the community that I don't see very often and meeting new residents. The picnic is not just open to past and present volunteers. It's really open for anyone that wants to attend...OWNERS AND RENTERS. We call it a VOLUNTEER PICNIC because we need VOLUNTEERS to organize it!!!

This year it will be a "covered dish to share" picnic, just in case we don't have access to any grills. We would only need two volunteers! Volunteer Responsibilities:

1. CHOOSE A PICNIC SITE

2. CHOOSE A DATE

3. PICK UP SOFT DRINKS, NAPKINS, PLASTIC TABLECLOTHS AND UTENSILS.

The rest "just happens"! TBPOA will reimburse the volunteers for the supplies and will put up the advertising signs. So...does it sound like fun? Call me at 461-4356 to sign up to volunteer!!!!

AND LAST...BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST! We want your input. If you havequestions or comments on a subject for the monthly newsletter, please e-mail me at rpm2121@bellsouth.net

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the this article!!!

Paula Murphy