Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

• Isaiah 40:31

Even to your old age and gray hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

• Isaiah 46:4

Even when I am old and gray,
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

• Psalm 71:18

The New Boilerplate

My wife filled a small book with “Angel” on the cover.  It was hidden with a box of crafting things.  On 18 July 2025, I thought I had posted the last of these.  But this little angel book held a prayer, followed by 71 quotes.  So, the “with a little help” series is back in business for a while.  And it will be fun for me.  She did not attribute any of the quotes.  The first, next week’s installment, is from James A. Garfield, the 20^th president of the USA.  The next one is disputed, with some thinking it originated with Teddy Roosevelt and others saying Fred Astaire.  After the prayer, these might be on the lighter side.

Her quote

“Old age is no place for sissies.”

• Bette Davis
• Art Linkletter

The Discussion

As for the quote, Bette Davis is given the credit for the quote, but sources say that she said, “Old Age ain’t no place for sissies.”  Besides the double negative and using the slang word of “ain’t” she basically said the quote.  Art Linkletter wrote a book titled “Old Age is Not for Sissies.”  Again not the exact quote.  So, you can choose who really said it first.

As I am writing this, I am visiting my son in Tennessee.  I was so thoughtful that I brought COVID with me.  My symptoms did not appear until the third day, so I was incubating the disease before that.  Of course, my son and his family are antivaxxers, so the story is yet to be fully told.  Okay, both my son and his wife have disorders that prevent most vaccinations.  The last time they had COVID, they did great with the usual prescription medicines they take with the flu.

But the time this comes out, I should be back home.

I was given a medicine that cost nearly $700.  I hardly paid anything the first time I got COVID.  The medicine worked, and the money is just less that the children get when I am gone.  But I was thinking about how the reason I “needed” the expensive medicine is that I am old and my breathing and heart may be affected by the prolonged illness.

It’s funny how some things about old age show that we are smarter, wiser, and we know how to avoid the dangers of life.

If I did not believe that God is in control, I would put getting COVID in a different category – dumb luck.  But God has control and there is a reason for me to have this disease.

And do not worry, I am handling it with little problem.  I am at the part where it hurts to cough, but you know that you have to.

But without a disease that is more dangerous for the elderly and those who have breathing issues, old age is still no place for sissies.  I dreaded the drive down to Tennessee.  My body does not rebound like it used to do.  But my focus remained on the task of driving.  With the crazy drivers along the way, there were still no close calls.

But getting up in the morning still seems to be a chore.  Sometimes, my only reason to get up in the morning is to glorify God.

It is from God that we get our strength.  When we focus on Him, we can handle the worst of situations.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory