Happy Daze

By Brenda J Wood

Surprised by how quickly age crept up?
Happy Daze
L.I.F.E. after 40
Happy Daze encourages a life well-lived. A life enjoyed until the very last drop.
Plan your own future
Set some goals
Prepare for the what ifs of life
Stop wasting the future
Face the odds of disease
Plan for death
Earn a G.O.A.D. degree

Come on in and experience some Happy Daze.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brenda J Wood
• Release date: Feb 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781895026535

Brenda J Wood

I call myself the ABC girl’ because I’ve survived the alphabet biggies of abuse, bulimia, and cancer.Right now I am working my way through the D’s that is recovering from the loss of my husband a few months ago.I expect to conquer the entire alphabet in my life time with the help of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.I am a somewhat average gal, not too tall, not too round, not too old or too young. I am not too outgoing, yet I am definitely not an introvert.I started to write seriously when I learned that journaling could help a person overcome sexual abuse. I thought that is for me! Eventually I started publishing the devotions that fill my journals.Some of those devotionals became the book, Heartfelt Devotionals-366 devotions for common sense living.My devotionals appear regularly at http://everydaychristian.com / and http://daily.presbycan.ca /I tend to write about what is happening in my life. Constant dieting produced the Bible Study, God, Gluttony & You, as well as several health related cookbooks.When Ron passed, I wrote a picture/story book for grieving children, called The Big Red Chair (2011).Meeting Myself-Snippets from a Binging and Bulging Mind (Word Alive Press) is the newest release. As you might expect from the title, it’s the painful, though often funny story of my recovery from abuse and bulimia. I’m honoured that both Michael Bull Roberts and Nikki Rosen read and endorsed it.You might have guessed by now that my next book will be about losing my Honey. I guess you could say that writing saved my life. Oh, I know that without Jesus and my husband Ron, (who was my ‘Jesus with skin’) I’d have sunk. But writing gives me a place to look at my life and recognize how far I’ve come.

Book preview

HAPPY DAZE

L.i.f.e. After 40

Living in Freedom Everyday

Bible Study & Work Book

Brenda J Wood

HAPPY DAZE

Happy Daze, L.I.F.E. after 40

Copyright 2020 Brenda J Wood

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Unless otherwise stated, all writings, poems, comments (and errors!) are the original work of Brenda J Wood

ISBN- Print Book - 978-1-895026-51-1

ISBN- E Book-978-1-895026-53-5

Scripture Copyrights:

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

The King James Version in public domain

Formatting by Rik – Wild Seas Formatting

HAPPY DAZE! L.I.F.E. after 40

The Daze

We sat in the doctor’s office with my seventy-five-year-old dad. The diagnosis meant a five-hour surgery. He seemed overly quiet, almost morose.

I said, Dad, this is nothing. We’ve all had longer surgeries than that. It’s no big deal. He replied, It’s not that. It’s just that I suddenly realized – I really am old!

Friends, that’s the DAZE! Some incident suddenly forces age recognition upon us. It might be a health issue; a store clerk offering a senior’s discount (without your asking!), or that first gray hair. Suddenly, our mortality is thrust upon us. We are well into our life’s journey. The end is in sight.

Our daze moment

Already tired of the journey? Remember the alternative to old age! Life is not about us. It’s about walking so that the world sees Jesus in us!

We don’t have to turn into one of those cranky old folks we all avoid. You know, the ones who hit you with their cane; the Aunt Marthas and the Uncle Freds we invite only at Christmas and then only because we feel obligated.

If we aren’t the somebody we want to be, perhaps we’d better pay more attention while we still can. None of us can make a brand-new start, but we surely can start now and aim for a brand-new ending!

God has a reason for aging. If He didn’t, we’d already be in our next place. (By the way, I hope you’ve asked Jesus into your life, so that the next place you go, will be Heaven and not Hell!)

And now that I am old and gray, don’t forsake me. Give me time to tell this new generation (and their children too) about all your mighty miracles. (Psalm 71:18,TLB)

Psalm 71:18 compelled me to write ’Heartfelt– 366 Devotionals for Common Sense Living,’ a devotional full of essential family remembrances? We might not write, but we can record.

‘Forty-Plus folks are God’s memory bank. We get to tell others how we met God and how He cared for us!

Which family members hold clues to our heritage? How will we record their words?

Our God memories

And so, we age. Society helps! Senior discounts used to begin at sixty-five. Now, some places offer them at fifty. Advertisers want to widen their product base so we see thirty-somethings advertising adult diapers and six-year-olds modeling disposables for infants! The most highly-fabricated ads show women in their mid-twenties using skin restoration products and hair dye.

Older folks have a special place in God’s heart.

I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior. (Isaiah 46:4, TLB)

You shall give due honor and respect to the elderly, in the fear of God. I am Jehovah. (Leviticus 19:32, TLB)

White hair is a crown of glory and is seen