Congratulations flood in each time one of your children has a baby. What have we done? Nothing, really. Surely it’s our child and the spouse who deserve the praise. But tradition dictates that we’re also congratulated, as we’ve just assumed a new and important status. When it happens for the first time, you are overwhelmed …more

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As a family therapist, I have noticed that retirees often end up becoming full-time babysitters for grandchildren, which can and often does cause insurmountable problems both for grandparents, parents and children. Understandably, new retirees may jump at the first chance to have unlimited time to give to their precious grandchildren; parents may thrill at low- …more

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“Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old,” is a quote by Mary H. Waldrip which anyone who is a grandparent is sure to appreciate. Grandchildren make our hearts swell; they restore our sense of joy and hope; they replenish our energy and creativity. In short, grandchildren make us feel younger in every …more

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I am now officially retired. Okay, I’m a writer and writers never really retire. I am now officially not getting paid regularly (which probably makes me ever more of a writer than I was.) Retirement, the few months of it that I have already experienced, appears to be like an infinite number of Saturdays strung together. …more

Moving to a senior community isn’t for everyone, yet it was right for us. The move came only after we had followed a dream: that of retiring and building a log house in a rural area. As the years passed our daughter, just 60 miles away, moved across the state on the other side of …more

For months I’ve been ruminating about what to write next. Here it is the beginning of 2018—and as my niece posted on Facebook, “Two thousand seventeen has been a long decade.” That leads me to my problem. Where could I begin? Where would it end? Why bother? I’m just one person. What can I do? …more

As we age it is easy to fall into a rut or if we are alone we can withdraw into ourselves. Without a purpose to get up and going in the mornings life can become depressing and it is unhealthy for us – both mentally and physically. I found that out when I retired! I …more

To change up holiday traditions this past Christmas, my husband and I gave the kids (and us) DNA kits at Thanksgiving. Wouldn’t Christmas dinner be fun and unique if we learned something about our DNA and fixed food from our various ethnic backgrounds during the holidays? We could then skip the traditional ham or turkey. …more