The Wheels of Life

...go round and round. That sounds so Buddhist and karma-ish but I am actually commenting on this little illustration that was posted by one of my friends on Facebook today. 

It brought to mind my late mother-in-law's declaration that it is of utmost importance for a person to be able to eat and to walk in old age. Only then would a long life be meaningful. 

She used to be a nurse and so she had seen how important it is to be able to eat in order to give one strength and energy to survive...and to walk, which translates to independence. 

To live wheel-ey well in your old age you should, for a start, make sure you take good care of your teeth 'cos that will enable you to eat well. That, in turn, will give you the energy to avoid the two sets of wheels found in the bottom centre two squares of the illustration above. 

Unfortunately for my MIL, she could not avoid those two sets of wheels but it was not because she did not eat well. Even when she was ill she would force herself to eat in order to have strength for the day but towards the end of her illness, she was not able to walk as a result of a collapsed spinal column due to osteoporosis. 

We eventually bought her a wheel-chair but she passed away very soon after. She only used it for a very, very short period of time; barely a month if I am not mistaken. She was an independent and self-reliant person and losing her independence broke her spirit.

Some of us may avoid those two sets of wheels found in the bottom two squares of the illustration above but no one can avoid the last set of wheels; none except those who are ready when Jesus returns for His own.