What’s it like for you when you come home to an empty house? Some people love it, some people immediately turn on the television or some music to “keep me company.” I suppose that’s changing as we text and email more and more, but it doesn’t matter. When you’re used to living with people an empty house can seem just ... Read More »
Mother’s Day is almost here. This will be the 2nd one without my mom. Of course she’s been on my mind lately. I miss her. As I read through http://familyshare.com/family/5-ways-adult-children-hurt-their-parents-without-realizing-it I saw a bit of myself. Although I didn’t forget her birthday and I included her in family events, I know she’d have liked me to call more often. A phone ... Read More »
Sitting here dressed to go to work at my part time garden center job I find myself reading about older women and fashion. If you’ve ever worked or shopped at a garden center, you know that the fashion there means well worn jeans or other utility pants a shirt that’s going to get dirty, and comfortable utilitarian shoes. Practicality trumps ... Read More »
I’ve witnessed far too many ICU scenes, as a hospital chaplain, a hospice social worker, and a daughter of elderly parents. The scenes were often dehumanizing, so I’m glad to see this article from today’s Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/effort-to-reduce-harm-in-hospitals-centers-on-seeing-patient-as-a-person/2015/04/08/13c7a814-da16-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac_story.htm Please share your experiences in the comments. Let’s work together to keep medicine humane. Read More »
One of my best friends is getting ready to move across the country. I’ll miss her, especially since a few of my other good friends have died. We’re old, but not that old. All of us are under 70. Every time I lose a friend, either to death or to a long distance move, I feel more isolated. It’ hard ... Read More »
Today I’m remembering Maxine Gallagher, my mother. She departed this earth on February 19, 2014, one year ago today. Sometimes remembering is all we can do. If someone you love is old, in fragile health, take some time to remember with them the good things they added to your life, the lessons they taught you, the gifts they gave. Do ... Read More »
Let’s see. So far we’ve had Black Friday that started on Thursday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and today is Giving Tuesday. The stores are playing Christmas music, the aisles are packed with way more stuff than during the rest of the year, and retailers want our money. On Black Friday my husband and I bought a can of stain ... Read More »
“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” Anaïs Nin, Winter of Artifice As I continue to go through things I’ve inherited and to clean out things I simply stuffed into some ... Read More »
Last night a friend (we’ll call her “Heather”) and her husband “Alan” came over for dinner. We had a lovely evening with good food and good conversation. I found myself thinking back to Still Alice, the movie I saw last weekend about a woman trying to hang onto as much of herself as she could while early onset dementia crept ... Read More »
When I was young I thought of older women as grannies. My grandmother wore her housedress most of the time. I never saw her wear slacks until I was a teenager and the extended family was at a lake in Minnesota where the adults, including my grandmother, were fishing. I guess when you’re in a rowboat catching slippery fish you ... Read More »
Todays Gray Matters Valuing the Wisdom & Purpose In Aging Well