One cold afternoon last January, three friends and I started planning our summer getaway. Living in four different states, we enjoy an annual getaway together…

After my husband Tom died in 2007, I remember how quickly the world seemed to move on. There were flowers, cards, casseroles, hugs, and kind words from people who truly cared. I was grateful for every gesture. In those early days, love often arrived in practical forms – a meal, a note, a hand on my shoulder, someone sitting quietly beside me when there were no words…

For much of our lives, we are taught to think of reinvention as something dramatic: a bold pivot, a fresh start, a single defining moment when everything changes. But in my experience, that is rarely how life really works. More often, change comes in seasons…

Have you ever quietly wondered what your retirement plan would look like if it were just you? Not “the two of us.” Not “we’re set.” Just you. It’s not a question most couples linger on. And yet for many women, it eventually becomes reality. After my husband died, I discovered something no spreadsheet had prepared me for…

I’ll soon turn 79. That means I’m not “approaching” 80 – I’m entering my 80th year. And I’m doing so with energy, clarity, and a sense of forward momentum – not diminishing. For many women, birthdays ending in zero can feel sobering…

When good things happen to us, we feel grateful. We’re thankful for our family, a comfortable home, caring friends, purposeful activities in retirement or paid employment, health, life in a free country, a pretty sunset, and more…

For more than a decade, four of us who call ourselves the “Fab 4” have been meeting for an annual “Girlfriends Getaway.” Each year brings a new and interesting city, a different Airbnb, and countless reminders that laughter, friendship, and shared stories age as beautifully as we do…

“Find someone to travel through life with after I’m gone.” That was my husband’s advice before he died 17 years ago. “You have so much love to give. Don’t stay alone forever.” Then he added a most important recommendation…

Perhaps because my late husband was a pastor, some people thought they were helpful after Tom’s death to tell me, “God needed another angel in heaven.” (Wrong! I needed that angel beside me, not gone away.) Or they said, “I know exactly how you feel…

I still recall an impactful conversation that took place several years ago, shortly after my book was published. While attending a community luncheon, I was seated at a round table with several couples. We exchanged pleasantries over salads and iced tea…