In 1967, I was 5 years old. I didn’t know much about life at that age. I do remember the little girl from kindergarten. I told my mom I would marry her because she had soft skin. One could argue that my priorities were impeccable at the tender age of five.

Nevertheless, in 1967, I wasn’t aware of much outside my general surroundings. I had my mom, dad, and a two-year-old baby brother, and of course, the girl with smooth skin in my kindergarten class.

Even now, I don’t know much about 1967.  But using “the Google,” as the old folks might say, I can see it was an eventful year.

Vietnam was in full swing, and Israel and Egypt fought in the Six-Day War. Thurgood Marshall became the first black Supreme Court Judge. Super Bowl 1 was played, and the Beatles and the Doors released groundbreaking rock albums.

I may have only been five in 1967, but I learned to dig the Beatles and the Doors years later. More so, the Beatles. In 1967, they released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The tracklist is a veritable who’s who of legendary rock songs. Of particular interest to me after the fact are the songs “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Lovely Rita,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four.”

There was a time when the last song didn’t even seem possible. I was young and mostly dumb. I had a teenage friend whose dad liked to remind us that we were so dumb that it made us numb. I’m sure there was some truth to that.

But here I am in 2025, and the thought that I might soon be 64 is shocking and calamitous. How’d that happen? I’m not sure I want to know. Worse yet, while I still look young and energetic (I have it on my own authority that I don’t look a day over 45), some of my friends look old. Ancient even. Some are retired.

Retired? When did that become a possibility? Surely, it is a cosmic joke.

In the meantime, I have no idea what will happen between now and when I’m 64, but I know this: I’ll be blessed even more than I am now—and that’s a lot.

A word to the wise: don’t wait until gray hair and strange wrinkles arrive to recognize the blessings in your life!

“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” (Psalms‬ 71‬:18‬ NIV‬‬)

Les Ferguson Jr. grew up in Vicksburg and is a 1980 graduate of Warren Central High School. He holds a B.A. in Bible from Magnolia Bible College and an M.A. in New Testament Preaching from Johnson University. He lives and ministers in Oxford, Mississippi and is the author of “Still Wrestling—Faith Renewed through Brokenness.” He can be reached at lfergusonjr@gmail.com.