Welcome my friend, come on in & we’ll enjoy a cuppa together in my little corner of cyberspace. It’s my eighth blogging anniversary this week so I thought we would celebrate by reflecting upon how we may shine this year.
Last weekend a friend, who was leading the service at Church, shared that this year her theme for life is to be Bright. She had a bright dress on to announce this theme. As she realised that as we age especially into our Senior years we often become invisible in Western Society.
A friend of hers had commented that we become the colour Beige as we Age, because beige seems to disappear into the background when other brighter colours are around. So I thought this would be a wonderful topic for reflection today.
So grab yourself a cuppa, a treat & get comfy. I’m enjoying a Chai Tea blend today with a gf salted Caramel peanut bar. What are you having?
Let’s begin…
At what Age does ‘Aging’ begin?
That’s an interesting question, don’t you think? I remember when I had just turned 26 years old & had taken an elderly friend (in her eighties) to a medical appointment, as I sat there with her & our mutual Physician, he commented after looking at her hands that had had a medical problem but had healed that her hands were in great order now. He commented that his & my hands looked older than hers!
As surprising as this sounds, it’s actually true, I’ve always had ‘old’ looking hands. I have Celtic heritage, so very fair skin, freckles & red hair came with Celtic DNA (as was the Physician’s heritage & who had the similar aged hands to mine & he was only in his thirties, lol). Unfortunately fair skin does not go well in the hot Aussie Sun (I’m definitely not a bronzed Aussie)!
But from that comment I became very interested in the process of Aging , especially after entering University as a ‘mature age student’ a few years later at the age of 30.
My fellow ‘mature age’ students & I were known as the ‘golden girls’ (all in our thirties), LOL! I look back now as a woman in her Senior years & think that was absolutely hilarious. But to 18-20 year old fellow students we were ‘older’ & apparently intimidating in our years of ‘experience’ because we were all married & had children.
What’s happened to our Western Society?
Unfortunately Ageism is flourishing in the Western World which is very different to the era I grew up in when everyone ‘elderly’ were known as the elders of the community & were respected & honoured for their life experience & wisdom.
In fact I loved sitting with my grandparents & the older generation listening to their wisdom & gleaning from their many years of experience.
Sadly respecting & honouring Seniors in our community has drastically changed over the past few decades. For me this became glaringly obvious the year my second born daughter & first born granddaughter took me on a Mother’s Day trip to Singapore.
By that year my hair had already turned white, so I was considered an Elder by the Singaporean people, the respect & honour I was receiving from all Singaporeans was pleasantly surprising.
Unfortunately in Western Societies those considered elderly are generally no longer respected & honoured. In fact it’s the opposite, we have indeed become the colour Beige ~ invisible & intolerable to many.
I recently read a post that pointed out that some older people aren’t very diplomatic in how they communicate their disappointment in this disrespect. However, in every age group you will always find those who lack diplomacy in expressing their pain.
The causes & the solution
There are many causal component’s to the disrespect & dishonouring of the elderly (Ageism) that we’re witnessing & may be experiencing in Western Society.
But for today’s reflection we’ll specifically look at two of those components. One being Western Society’s extreme focus the Fountain of Youth which has fueled the second component; the Fear of Aging & has caused the following;
The Synchronising of old Foes
What this boils down to is that Aging has become an affront to a Society obsessed with looking eternally young & all that entails. Which in turn has lead to an intolerance, disrespect & dishonouring of those who are considered Aged.
This Fear of Aging has also been fueled by the Media over the decades, I can think of many movies, TV shows, cartoons & even children’s books over the years that have portrayed aging as something to fear, that’s it’s ugly & intolerable.
The Solution;
Well, my friend’s solution is to not continue to be seen as Beige but be Bright not just in dressing but also in attitude. And I can confirm that she’s a wonderful Ambassador for being Bright as she Ages! She’s full of life, energy & love for others.
Let’s see what God says about Aging;
“Planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they will still bear fruit;
healthy and green they will remain,
to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock,
and in Him there is no unrighteousness.” Psalm 92: 13-15 BSB
We can do this because of the following promise by God Himself:
“Even to your old age I am He, And even to your advanced old age I will carry you! I have made you, and I will carry you; Be assured I will carry you and I will save you.” Isaiah 46: 4 AMP
We don’t have to do our older years alone for God Himself is with us carrying us through all the aches, pains, wrinkles & wobblies. Our part is to have the right attitude & may I echo a Bright Attitude.
Which ties in with my words for this Year (WOTY) Sanctuary of Thanks-living...& in the words of Charles Spurgeon which I quoted last week one aspect of Thanks-living is to have a “general cheerfulness of manner” or in today’s language a Bright Attitude!
Personally, I can have a bright attitude, regardless of being seen as Beige or Bright by my society, because my Sanctuary for Thanks-living is Christ Jesus!
How about you my friend, are you Beige or Bright?
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
or in Prayer
© 2026 Jennifer M. Ross, All Rights Reserved. Photo by ozundunyasina pexels.com
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It all comes down to respect. Believers must show respect to ALL people regardless of age, race, gender, religion, politics, nationality or any other division we come up with.
It does indeed come down to respect & love for another Barb.
Thanks for visiting my blog and I feel blessed because it nudged me to visit yours and what a delight. Well written, my new friend. I don’t want to choose between beige and bright though – I want and will be both! A mix. A day of one then another. May we all age having such colorful options!
Thank you Jean for your kind words of encouragement. How lovely you dropped in & joined me in a cuppa new friend. We are indeed blessed when we have choices & options everyday! 😊
Jennifer, reading this post this morning has been most timely! Just a few days ago, I share Isaiah 46:4 with a family member as decisions were being discussed. We have so much to learn from those who have lived longer and had different experiences. May we all age with grace and joy because the Lord is faithfully with us. Thank you, for sharing this today! Blessings and a {{hug}}!
You’re most welcome Joanne! And Amen to your following statement;
“May we all age with grace and joy because the Lord is faithfully with us.”
Blessings & Hugs to you too sweet friend 😊
Jennifer, congratulations on your eighth year of blogging! I’m so happy your blog exists. You always leave me with so much to think about after reading your posts. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Thank you Stephanie! ☺️
Great post Jennifer. Your friend reminds me of a friend of mine who lived to 101 years and always dressed in the brightest clothes. I would consider myself to be bright I think though I don’t wear exceptionally bright clothes–nor do I wear all dark or neutral shades.
I’m 80, half-way to 81 now, and I haven’t really received any desrespect from those I meet whether in the stores or wherever I go. I can usually strike up a conversation even with those much younger.
A couple of Sundays ago, it was raining and the church parking lot was covered with ice. I managed to slowly creep along and got into church safely. But when it was time to go home, I got down the steps and around the stairs when suddenly my feet just whipped out from under me, I landed hard and bounced my head off the brick wall and was sitting in water. A young man from the worship team followed me out, asked if I was alright, and I said no as I couldn’t get up. He went looking for help when the worship leader came back from his car, so the two of them just lifted me up as though I didn’t weigh that much. The leader held my arm and walked me to my car, then another young man stood close to make sure I got into my car safely. That was quite an ordeal, but I finally made it into the driver’s seat and was ready to go. I felt really cherished through the whole thing. And no, I wasn’t hurt. I didn’t even have a headache! No bruises, either. I think there must have been an angel or two watching over me to keep me safe. And I can still laugh at myself, so I guess I’m OK. 🙂
I love that you’re okay after such a fall Diane! Praise God for His protection & for those respectful young people that helped you. I’m glad you haven’t experienced the disrespect many are experiencing at the moment.
Refreshingly, your part of the world must cherish their Seniors, how lovely. Blessings to you…😊
i know there are days that I am most definitely beige! But I’m praying for the Lord to be bright in me even then! Thank you for sharing these timely thoughts and ideas. Blessing to you my bright friend!
Blessings to you sweet friend. You do indeed shine brightly for the Lord Bettie!
Jennifer, I have always enjoyed wearing color. But, I know exactly what you are talking about. Western society as a rule no longer respects the seniors. When I was younger, I loved spending time with those who were advanced in years. I read somewhere that when an old person dies, we lose a library. I think of that often. Our life experiences can benefit the younger generation.
Blessings my friend,
Pam
Blessings to you too Pam. I love the sentiment of that thought; that age develops a library in experience & wisdom of life.
Yes, those of us who have lived through the challenging & joyful times of life have much to share that can benefit many.
What an interesting observation of moving more toward beige as we age. Hmm….I’ll have to go look at my closet! My hands have looked old for years; some things we just have to accept. I do notice how the elderly aren’t given as much respect as they once were, which makes me sad. We have so much to learn from those who have lived here the longest.
We really do have so much to learn from those who have traversed this life longer Lisa. Lovely to have you drop by my friend.
Jennifer, I love this piece and would agree with your observations about aging and how it is viewed by much of western society. I (at now 82) was reminded of that afresh in recent weeks as I have been looking for a dress for a grandson’s wedding in late March. Dresses either appear frumpy or are so short and filled with sequins that one might think the dress was for a prom versus a wedding. Three years ago another grandson got married and I wore a cobalt blue dress that I loved but think it not the best to wear it again for another grandson even though the first wedding was in TX and this one will be in TN. I finally found a pink one online I have ordered and hope will feel and look great even tough it is not a color I wear often (not pale and not hot pink so we’ll see).
I think the capacity to show respect in any and all cases has diminished greatly in recent decades beyond just to seniors. The societal norms once revered are no longer in vogue.
Nonetheless, we march on being who God called us to be knowing He sees us beyond gray hair, wrinkles, decreasing height, or other evidences of a life well lived.
Blessings,
Pam
Thank you Pam. Yes I have found the same with fashion too, it’s difficult to find complimentary outfits as we age.
I agree with you, respect for others have diminshed in many areas which is a sad reality in the Western world.
I’m glad we know the Lord too. Blessings to you sweet friend 😊
Lovely post😅 I’d love to be a bright beige.
I love that!