Reed Strong, Northwest Prime Time’s summer intern, is a senior in Western Washington University’s journalism program. He speaks to Northwest area seniors and baby boomers for the series LIFE LESSONS. Each is asked the same four questions: thoughts on growing older; advice for the younger generation; what are they most nostalgic about; and how the world has changed for the better.
Hilda McFarland, 82, was born in New York in 1932 but eventually moved to California during the 50s. After living in the heavily industrialized Orange County, McFarland and her husband moved to Washington on a job offer, “Everyone said we would hate it. We loved it!” McFarland was a secretary and a tutor while she was still working. She is currently widowed, and has eight children spread across the states.
What have you found are the best aspects of growing older?
“We appreciate and enjoy life more. You have more of an awareness of what life is all about. And for me, the world is centered around the lord Jesus Christ. So for me, that is everyone. From my faith in Christ comes out how I conduct myself, how I meet people everywhere… I praise god for the life I have every day.”
What’s the best advice you could give to a younger person?
“I would say to be aware, be alert. See what life is all about, experience it and enjoy it. Life is too short. You never know what’s going to happen the next day, so live it to the fullest, and live it for Christ.”
What thing from your childhood are you nostalgic about?
“I’m the most nostalgic of the 27 years I had with my husband. The wonderful things we did, and the memories we had. I had a very unusual childhood. My mother contracted tuberculosis when I was only five. My father deserted the family. I was five, my sister was two, and my brother was three. We became wards of the state, and were placed in a home for orphaned children. But it was run by the sisters of charity, so it was a Catholic group, and it was very lovely. I was there for nine-and-a-half years. God’s hand was on my life, even back then.”
What changes in the world do you think are for the better?
“The most positive thing that I have experienced is coming to know my lord, my savior, Jesus Christ. He has influenced and impacted my life. As far as what I’ve seen in the world, I’m so sad. There’s no love of God. It’s just a very sad world.Yet, there are a lot of good things. “
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