I grew up less than an hour from Amish country. When I think about that, it’s hard to believe because I was full-on suburban girl, hitting the mall, the movie theaters and going to sleep-overs on the weekend so we could stay up late and watch Saturday Night Live. It was only 55 minutes, but … More Connecting to the Amish
It has been almost a year since my mother Ginny turned 90 during the Covid lockdown. At the time, I remember telling her that as soon as restrictions lifted, we would celebrate this important birthday by taking her out to her favorite restaurant, ordering her favorite gin and tonic cocktail and digging into a birthday … More Life Inside Memory Care
Oriana Fallaci was an Italian journalist known for her politically charged interviews throughout her career. But in 1979, she moved away from that genre to write a novel – a thinly veiled story of her real-life relationship with a man who tried to assassinate a Greek dictator. I read it back in 1982 through a … More As Fate Would Have It…
The power of wind is as varied as the descriptive names for it: Chinook, Trade winds, gale force, Sirocco, the North wind and simply, breezes. We’ve all felt the sharp change when wind gusts appear right before a thunderstorm, bending trees and blowing lawn furniture. And we have felt the small joys when the wind … More Why We Want to Be Blowin’ in the Wind
I had the most interesting talk with my 30-year-old son Will last week. I was sharing how often my brain misfires these days. I mix up basic facts, I can’t find the right words while speaking, and I have forgotten more than once how to retrieve my cell phone voicemail. (I need to dial “1” … More Why I’m Losing My Mind: More Pandemic Fallout
In a few short days, I will be joining the millions of people who live and thrive in the sexagenarian decade. I’ll be wandering into the land of Early Bird specials, retirement and U.S. Medicare. Since I couldn’t pack my job and take it with me, I actually retired five years ago when we moved … More 60 Things That I’ve Discovered
A year ago this week, I carefully reviewed my inaugural blog post for about the 500th time and finally launched it live. Over the next 52 weeks, I tried to stay on course with a post a week. I’ve loved both the content and the intent of the blog. I’ve shared everything from taking over … More Taking New Steps
As my blog often confirms, life is complicated, funny and always full of surprises. These past few days have been no exception. As a resident living on the east coast of Florida, I have been distracted as well as knee-deep in preparations for Hurricane Dorian. I had hoped to start the first week of September … More Thank You!
Today I’m in the mood to pull the curtains back from a darkened room and find the joy. Living through aging parent experiences is draining, it goes with the territory, but witnessing pure joy sure brings in a lot of light. I found an example of just such a joy when reading a Glamour article … More Finding Joy in Your 80’s and 90’s
In an unusual coincidence, two different friends are holding memorial services today for a parent who passed away. One friend’s father died young at age 68 in Illinois and they returned to California with his ashes this weekend. The other friend’s mother died four days ago at age 100 and her service is in Pennsylvania. … More Figuring Out Final Wishes and Helpful Tips
Leaving The Door Open 