Weary Winners

On Saturday I took my friend Ian to our local hospital for a ‘procedure’ (a wonderful term – often a euphemism for ‘lady’s’ hospital visits). I dropped Ian off and drove to Gorleston sea-front. It was a crisp, bright winter morning.

It was the Gorleston ‘fun-run’… hundreds taking part. Initially athletes passed me. Moving with little apparent effort they would complete the course and still seem fresh. Then runners passed me. They looked reasonably fit, but running was more of an effort. Finally there were the joggers; puffing and panting, it really was hard work… completing the course would be victory… they’d be weary winners.

I returned to collect Ian. All had gone well. We talked about getting older… 40 years ago we were busy – work, meetings, family, church, hobbies… We were life’s athletes. We would complete each day and still seem fresh.

Now each activity is harder work; it takes longer. We need to pace ourselves with coffee and rest. We’ve become life’s joggers – still winning, but weary winners.

We watched the TV drama ‘Call the Midwife’ last night. I’ve no expertise of childbirth – either as a mother or a midwife – but the births looked pretty realistic to me! ‘You have a healthy daughter!’ Good news! ‘It’s all over… but it’s just beginning’… Mother was a weary winner.

I’m reading the story of Moses. The Israelites are fighting the Amalekites. Moses goes up a hill. When he holds up his staff the Israelites are winning. His tired 80-year-old arms droop. They start losing.

He sits down. His brother Aaron and friend Hur hold up his elderly arms. The Amalekite army are defeated… Moses needed the help and support of strong, reliable friends for weary winning…

The elderly St Paul: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ Musing on recent deaths… friends Rick and Andrew… brother Chris… They may have finished their race wearily but they were winners!