OLD AGE, A GIFT? HHmmm

I had this thought.  I looked for a picture.  I found this one.  I'm using it because it fits.  I found it linked here: http://blackberrycreek.typepad.com/blackberry_creek/2008/05/the-gift-of-age.html
I started with a different take on the thought than what appears in the blog stated above.  I am therefore going to proceed, now that I have been fair to the blogger who created the thought[s] contained in the above.  My driving force is the death of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer. He was 56.  I come from a family in which the majority of its members died before 50.  They all died quickly, except for one or two.  Now, a whole generation of this family has disappeared and I am the eldest surviving member of the generation below the one that has disappeared.  I am somewhat older than 50.  Old age is a gift.  It is a gift of time.  Old age is certainly a challenge.  It is not easy for a person to accept the general weaknesses that come with the accumulation of the years.  To those who conquer the temptation to feel bad for themselves because they aren't 35 any more, old age is certainly a gift.  I have not been quick to come to this mind set.  All my adult life I have been fervently praying for a quick, heart attack death.  Just get me out of here.  Lately, and particularly these days when I get the chance, like everyone else, to reflect on the death of one of the richest people on earth, I am happy to still be here.  Steve Jobs knew that he was dying for some time now. That too was a gift.  Not that illness is that great a gift, but in many cases, it is.  There are so many of us who don't get the chance to participate in the immediate planning for the inevitable.  We all know that we are going to die.  We all know that we have to stay ready.  We all know that our entire life should be planned with the inevitable in mind.  We all, and I mean all, spend a lot more time planning what we're going to do next month, next year, etc. more than we spend on preparing for the Great Inevitable.
So, what are you doing to prepare for it?  Are you preparing by creating something that will live beyond you and force people to remember you because of it?  Are you preparing by taking the advice of the Great Teacher who counseled us to care for the widows,the orphans, the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned, the lame and the sick?  The good part about the second option is that this is a preparation that can be done during an entire life time,no matter how long.  Yes, even in old age.  My maternal grandmother used to go out in the cold, icy weather to visit the old people who could not go out.  I used to laugh to hear her say, "I'm going to visit the "Old Lady Robitaille this afternoon"  My grandmother was 85 and the "Old Lady" was 72.  To my grandmother, her old age was a gift.  She was sharing it with the "Old Lady."  It is not humble to use yourself as an example, but hey, I'm humble and I'm proud of it.  Therefore, as an example of gifted old age, I have found a way to share what I have.  I would prefer to have gainful employment (you know $$$) but I find myself contenting myself trying to make you all happy electronically.  I am thankful for every hour of every day that I have.  I laugh every time I think that my doctor told me that no one is old before 80.  So, OK, I'm not old yet, but I allow myself to accept my "advanced age" as a gift.  A gift that allows me to share what I am and what I have with the world.  I am thankful that I have had the inspiration to accept this stage of my life as the active collaboration for the planning of the Great Inevitable.  It might be tomorrow or it might be in 2020.  Whenever it happens, know that I was ready and thankful that I had the time to design the exit.  If you are around at that time, keep this in mind and you will not be the least tempted to cry at my funeral.