As a child, spirituality was a saving grace. I believed that when the sun’s rays were blasting through the clouds, forming pillars on the earth, these were signs of the Holy Ghost. In awe, I would immediately pray, imagining these signs were for me and just me. These spiritual signs guided me through a difficult…
Category: Aging
Managing Leisure Time in Retirement: My Journey with Reading – Is it a Waste of Time?
Since I retired, time has been there, hanging around and needing to be filled. Work organized my mind and my day; now, it is up to me. Never a slacker, I manage to over-organize my time and don’t waste it. Reading has been my passion and my friend since I was a young child. As…
Embracing Retirement: Overcoming Challenges and Rediscovering Passions
Retirement sometimes bring a strange mix of morning emotions. When I worked I woke at 4:45 every day with energy and a “can’t wait” approach to the day. I had long days, many challenges, and “work” friends I valued. Now, after 13 years of retirement, I awake and still wait for the “moment” of daily…
Parental Affection Across Generations: A Personal Reflection
Did your parents hug you? A lot? Never? Only on special occasions? After spending the weekend with my 8 year old grandson I realized that he was okay with hugging me. As a Grammy I want to be hugged repeatedly and in a hard embrace. This is new to this generation, from my experience. I…
Am I too old for a dog?
Living in a community that is populated with what we now call more mature residents, few have dogs. Some family members do bring their dogs, especially the younger ones, and there are a few Millenials hanging about with pets. My three children counseled against getting a dog, especially the young and small puppy I was…
Looking Back on Cherished Holiday Traditions
Always one to appreciate the many traditions of the season, decorating remains my most cozy memory with my family. As traditionalists we did not display or light the decorations until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Of course, we started with the outdoor lights, decorating the front bushes, and hanging lights along the gutters. Waiting until dark to adjust the…
These Past Months
A month ago my son’s brother-in-law passed away unexpectedly from a fentanyl overdose. It has had a devastating impact on all of our families. He was a young man of means with so much to live for, both in opportunities and future success. Two years ago my son-in-;aw died in a motorcycle accident, and he…
Author Unknown
“Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting.” Keep painting a beautiful life, your whole life!
Growing Older, Gracefully and with Joy!
I have become elderly this year. No I am not older than my actual calendar years, yet society thinks I am now dispensable. The pandemic moved Boomers from the “in” group to oldsters, Actually, to a group to be discarded in nursing homes. With a moral shadow blighting the national conscience. As the virus decimated the…
Safety Packaging
There is very little that is more aggravating on a day to day basis as the frustration of opening packages of food, bottles of medicine, liquid bottles, and purchased over the counter drugs. Millennials take these inconveniences for granted, never really questioning the origin and implications for older Americans. In 1982, in the Chicago suburb…
Life Gets Better 