{"id":981,"date":"2012-03-25T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2012-03-25T14:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=981"},"modified":"2012-03-25T11:39:40","modified_gmt":"2012-03-25T16:39:40","slug":"go-grannies-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=981","title":{"rendered":"Go Grannies Go!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Buranova Grannies\u00a0(Photo: Buranovskie Babushki\/facebook)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a little news you may have missed this week. A gaggle of grannies, The Buranovskie Babushki,<\/a> from a remote Russian village won first place and will represent the country in Eurovision, the world\u2019s biggest song contest. They even beat previous Eurovision winner and top Russian pop star Dima Bilan. The group\u2019s average age is 75 and they wowed judges singing and dancing to a catchy tune called Party for Everyone.<\/p>\n

I say, \u201cGo Grannies Go!\u201d<\/p>\n

These grannies spend their days doing farm chores such as sewing, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and tending goats before they meet in the evenings for rehearsals. If they win Eurovision in late May, the prize money will be used to build a church for their village of 650. Granny Galina Koneva feels they have already won something special. \u201cWe want to have a longer life,\u201d she says. \u201cThey say that those who move, who sing, they live longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think she\u2019s right. Years ago I saw the inspiring documentary Young@Heart (http:\/\/www.youngatheartchorus.com\/<\/a>) about a Massachusetts based senior citizens chorus who delighted audiences worldwide singing modern songs. Members ranged from their early 70s to well into their 90s. They are still going strong!<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s my age showing, but I love it when older people accomplish things. There is an old adage that still rings true: Just because there is snow on the roof doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t fire in the furnace. Staying active as long as you can is a better anti-aging formula than any Botox, cream, potion, vitamin, mineral, or antioxidant on the market.<\/p>\n

The Bible gives us insight into the aging process from God\u2019s perspective. Long life is considered a blessing or even a reward (Deuteronomy 5:33; 1 Kings 3:14). Abraham died at a \u201cripe old age, old and contented\u201d (Genesis 25:8), David died at a \u201cgood old age, full of days, riches, and honor\u201d (1 Chronicles 29:26, 28), and Job died \u201cold and full of days\u201d (Job 42:17).<\/p>\n

Gray hair is described as a \u201cglorious crown\u201d (Proverbs 16:31), which I\u2019m hoping is a metaphor since I am a \u201cnatural\u201d light brown thanks to Ms. Clairol. Older men should be \u201cself-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance\u201d (Titus 2:2-3). Older women should \u201cencourage the young women\u201d (Titus 2:3-5). In Biblical times the aged were respected (1 Timothy 5:1-2; Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 23:22) and shared their lifetime experiences with others (Joel 1:2-3; Deuteronomy 32:7).<\/p>\n

Biblically speaking, it sounds as if the aged should remain active and involved in life as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Consider these senior citizens:<\/p>\n