So what should an actress in Britain’s most popular television show look like?
Like this?
Lady Sybil
Or this?
Lady Mary
Or this?
Maggie Smith as the Lady Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham
* * *
Being young and beautiful—one would consider that a sine qua non for an actress—but Dame Maggie, who has exchanged her youthful beauty for a face with character in every wrinkle, has the best lines in Downton Abbey.
To be in demand in film and theatre as an 80 year old woman…Wow! All things are possible.
* * *
Blogging and publishing are youth-dominated. As I scroll through blogs, I sometimes wonder what life-lessons I have to learn from someone 15 or 20 years younger than I am.
However, because of the mercy of God, in every field, at every stage of life, we have things to learn from those older than us, who have walked the road on which we haven’t yet set our feet.
And things to learn from those younger than us, who have grown up in different times, with different experiences, and who are walking the roads we once travelled, but with greater wisdom, grace and energy, and without making the mistakes we did. Who may be more intelligent, better-read, wiser, more Godly, better Christ-followers.
And who knows, since God wastes no experience, perhaps we ourselves have something to teach both generations too.
If we do not make an effort to keep up with the Christian music of the young, the beautiful books written by the young, the moives made by the young, the technology used by the young, the language of the young, we, the middle-aged will soon become aliens and strangers in our very own world. May that never be!
* * *
God who created a beautiful but efficient universe, in which everything in creation is beautiful as well as ecologically useful, desires us to be a blessing at every stage of our life. To remain relevant.
And we do this by remaining in the waterfall of his love; by listening to him, hard; by drawing wisdom from the Ancient of Days, who is, in Augustine’s words, “the beauty ever ancient and ever new.”
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I really like this and find it encouraging. In my church, people have talked about having Pauls and Timothy’s in our lives; -who are the older people in the faith who can encourage and teach us, and who are the Timothy’s – the younger people that we can encourage and build up from our experience and gained wisdom?
Catherine, thank you. I have a Paul in my life, with him I have a formal spiritual direction relationship, though she is also my friend. I have spiritual friendships with a couple of younger women, though informal ones, and need to be more faithful in keeping these up!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Catherine, and welcome to my blog!
My granddaughter teaches me much. My children often seem to have more wisdom than I. And when I read the blogs of women 20-30 years my junior I am deeply inspired by their courage, faith, boldness, and strength. When I look to certain women in their 70’s today, my mentors, I am also encouraged and inspired. We live in a world filled with so many words, blogs, and media but there are certain ones that shine like stars in the universe as they hold out the word of truth and light. Yours is one of those, Anita. Thank you for writing!
Oh my, you are so kind, Susan. Thank you.
I learn from my children too, from their tolerance, their uncomplicated accepting attitude towards all races and cultures, for instance!