My great grand dad worked a farm in Ohio from the time he was 15 years old until his death at 85. His first wife gave him 11 children, and died at age 39. His second wife gave him 9 children, and outlived him due to being 20 years his junior.Tom, my Great Grandfather buried his wife & two of his children & worked a 100 Acre farm in NE Pennsylvania (the old fashioned way--plowing with horses). Bottom line, he lived well into his 80's & he had a handshake like a vice grip. My grandfather lived till he was 88, a coal miner since he was 11.
Maybe hard work has other rewards that we neglect.
My dad died an old, old man at 69 but my mother lived to be 102.
I would love to do a little hard work. Unfortunately, due to a bout with meningitis and encephalitis back in the 1970s I have been left with a heart that only beats 50% as effectively as it should, and with even slight exertion I go into tachycardia. I am also a cancer survivor, grateful for the extra years, but the treatment was almost as bad as the disease.
And on top of all that I suffer from a rare form of MS that is slowly robbing me of the use of my arms and legs, hearing, and sight. I would really love to live long enough to see my grandkids grow up (the youngest is only 5) but if not I have lived a wonderful life, loved and been loved, and I have few regrets. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, and there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness that does not fade away.
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