Literacy class thought

I am taking a class that is talking about the body and looking at how language expresses the body. It is a really interesting class. Yesterday we talked about the art of Wabi-Sabi (an ancient Japanese art of flower arranging). This is the art of decay appreciation. It presents dying flowers and other parts of nature in new, beautiful ways. They view the moment a flower wilts as the most perfect time in a flowers life. At this point the flower is in accordance with the cycle of life. We talked about how our culture puts so much effort on the young and the beautiful. We, as a culture, don't like the idea of death.

In my opinion, the elderly are the jewels of our culture. They hold the most precious secrets of the past. They have lived life to the fullest and have an incredible bank of knowledge. It is a gift to be given the opportunity to sit down and talk with someone older. They have great wisdom. It doesn't matter if they are related to you, have the same religion as you, or speak the same language as you. They are so valuable! In my opinion, they should never be thrown into retirement homes or treated with disrespect! God has chosen for them to remain here on earth for their whole life. Until He takes them from us, there is something to gain from their presence and knowledge. There is peace in their death, as they have lived a full and glorious life here on earth and will, hopefully, continue on their journey past earth.

I have always loved hands, especially old hands. To me, the hands show where someone has been, what life they have lived. Wrinkles stem from the heart. They are the rivers from which love has flown. They start by our eyes, mouths, and hands (the most used pathways of love). There is such tenderness in these hands!