Life

It has been interesting, learning about the process of aging. Gerontological nursing is not a very happy, uplifting area. You learn about all the hard things that happen when you get old; the loss of friends, loved ones, hobbies, physical ability, senses, possessions, etc. Basically every thing that makes life worth living. Or so it seems. I've thought a lot about this lately, about the purpose of life. In my class "Nursing Care of the Older Adult," one of the students mentioned briefly that one of the hardest things about getting old is that you lose the ability to serve people in the same way you used to, to work the same way you used to, to be useful to people like you have your whole life, that the process of changing roles from a caregiver to a dependent care receiver is a very humbling, hard thing.

As I've thought about this aging process, however (losing loved ones, losing your ability, possibly having pain for the rest of your life), I've realized how blessed we are to have the Gospel. If I did not have a knowledge of what life is about, of the importance of building your own character, of always striving to be better, the importance of family relationships, and, most importantly, the faith that God knows everything and he knows what is best for each individual person, I would probably just drop out of everything and give up. There is so much uncertainty, so many things I do not, and probably will not, ever understand. So many things that don't make sense to me, and the only way I can be okay with that fact is having the faith that our loving Heavenly Father wants the best for us, that he is watching over and guiding us in every small detail of our lives. And that makes life worth living :)