ALWAYS CHANGING CELLS

When I moved back to my hometown after being gone 25 years, it was interesting.  I was still the same person, and yet I was different.  I had a sneaking suspicion that people who had known me when I was a kid, teenager and young adult still had me frozen in time.  They had not lived my life nor did they know what all I had experienced or done.  The first time I was in a store and ran into someone I went to high school with (not having gone to high school reunions) I giggled inside.  After walking away I wondered to myself, "Do I look that old?  When did they become a bit overweight, get gray hair, and develop wrinkles by their eyes?  Wow!  They look way, way older than I do!"   I'm sure you've done what I have done too - looked over pictures or photo albums from your life and noted how you've changed since your first year birthday shot with cake all over your face..  Not too long ago someone wanted to see pictures of me growing up.  As I sorted through them to email I noted how we are always evolving.  It's like we are human silly putty.  We are constantly changing, cells are regenerating, and eventually dying.  Our looks are perpetually being altered.  If you don't believe me, just look at pictures of yourself at different ages and now.  If you still don't believe me, read the anniversary announcements in your local newspaper, especially the 50th anniversaries - the ones that have a wedding picture next to a current picture of the couple.  I love the part in the movie "Hook"  where the Lost Boys don't recognize Peter Pan because he's aged.  They don't truly know it's Pan until one Lost Boy takes his hands and stretches Peter's face back and says in amazement, "It is you - Peter Pan."   Standing in the bathroom today I was slathering on wrinkle cream, trowelling it over my face hoping to slow the effects of age, sun and gravity.  Everyday my husband tells me how beautiful I am (actually it's more like dozens of times a day).  Recently having one of those days where aging seems more up close than others, I responded, "Honey, I am cellularly dying and aging daily.  I really physically cannot be as beautiful today as I was yesterday.  It's just science!"  God really did us a favor in making the aging process happen slowly - it's less shocking.  That is unless you haven't seen someone for 25 years!