Social Commentary
-
Better Now Than Never
Our Decluttered Fireplace Mantel We spend the first half of our lives accumulating things and the last half giving them away. Author Unknown Several years ago, when we were moving into a smaller home, we rented a storage unit for all the things we thought we should keep. It seemed like the sensible thing to do.…
-
The Patina of Wear
“Age appears best in four things: old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.” —Francis Bacon The folding bridge table in the photo is over eighty years old, and I have owned it for more than twenty of those years. During that time, it has served…
-
The Echo of Our Words
Words matter, and the right words matter most of all. They’re all that remains of us. John Birmingham The photo is of our neighborhood Reading Garden Park. The walls and walkways are covered with quotations—words of wisdom, humor, inspiration, and reflection. It is one of my favorite places. There is something comforting about sitting quietly,…
-
A Poppy in his Buttonhole
Grand Uncle Palmer ‘ The poetry above is from the poem For the Fallen, written by Laurence Binyon in 1914 during the early months of World War I. My uncle Palmer served in that war, and this is one of only a few photographs I have of him. My grandfather served as well. He lied about…
-
Nostalgia and Time
Gen X learned two important life lessons from Columbia House: nothing is truly free and always read the fine print Unknown You’ve probably heard the phrase, “This almost wrote itself.” Well, in a way, this post did. About a week ago, a fellow blogger wrote about The Columbia House Record Club, highlighting the wide variety…
-
Cultivating Genuine Connections
You make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Dale Carnegie As often happens with my writing, the universe seemed to conspire to steer me towards this topic. Initially, my friend lent me the book, “How…
-
Reflections on Faith
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie ten Boom Over the last few days, I’ve been contemplating faith and the world we live in. In the past, I’ve written about my experience at Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a place that deeply resonated with me and continues to be on my mind…
-
Embracing Aging: A Positive Perspective on Growing Older
One of the great things about being older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been. Madeleine L’Engle As I swiftly approach my seventy-eighth birthday, I’ve decided it’s time to refresh my profile photo. Every time I glanced at the previous one, I felt confined to a different era—a time when my…
-
Insights on Staying Young
The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected. Robert Frost I sincerely support the pursuit of staying young for as long as possible. In my opinion, it’s a mindset that can significantly impact our lives. You’ve undoubtedly come across the popular saying, “You’re as old as you feel.” I would like to propose a slightly…
Aging with Grace 