Steven Waldman

Inspired Aging

Thursday January 29, 2009

My father-in-law, Austin Cunningham, passed away this week. He was 94 and an extroardinary man -- named "senior citizen of the year" in South Carolina for his unceasing work on behalf various community groups (youth jobs, anti-drugs, minority education).

In pulling together some of his writings for Friday's funeral, my wife Amy found these words:

"We should, as we get closer to our Maker, learn the joy in the rising and setting sun, the magic of moonlight, the unfathomable mysteries of our lives and our universe. Everyday-ness can be vibrant and permeated with glory.


What we're searching for is inspired aging, becoming more creative as we stride down that runway of ours, acquiring the abillity to be surprised, curious, probing, and above all enthusiastic. Let's spread our wings! We want awareness and vitality right up to the last few hours."

I love the idea of acquiring the ability to be curious -- and the glory of everyday-ness. We'll miss your wisdom, Austin.

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Comments
Gerard Nadal
January 29, 2009 1:29 PM

Steven,

Sounds like your were uncommonly blessed in your father-in-law. My prayerful condolences to you and your wife. God Bless.

Steve Culbertson
January 29, 2009 4:17 PM


Hi Steve,

What stunning advice from a man who appeared to follow his own advice.

Thank you for sharing a piece of your family at an important time.

Warm regards,

Steve

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