As I approach the three-year mark of living wine-free, I think about how this decision has enriched my life and solidified my commitment to saying no to alcohol. In December 2022, I celebrated my first year without wine, sharing my story…

This January, I’ll start my 78th year. I’m part of a large aging population in America. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2030, all baby boomers like me will be older than 65…

Looking for a birthday card to give my 75-year-old friend, I passed up almost every message featured in the card section of my local markets. You know the ones I’m talking about. Intended to be funny, their messages ridicule older people! After a failed search…

Losing a spouse is a challenging and transformative experience. Your partner’s death can reshape your life. I get it. It happened to me when my late husband, Tom, passed 17 years ago. His death was the most devastating event I ever faced…

For many elder boomers, like me, the outdated model of retirement isn’t a good fit today. We’re healthier and living longer than prior generations. Most of us don’t want to just sit in a porch rocking chair gazing at the sunset…

My husband died in my arms right before Valentine’s Day 16 years ago. I soon found a quote by Alan Watts that became my mantra for many months afterward as I moved through the initial phases of widowhood: “The only way to make sense out of change…

Sixteen years ago, my world shattered. That’s when cancer killed my beloved husband. A spouse’s likelihood of passing away is three times higher for women than men. Many women find that widowhood forces them to take on and make critical financial…

I was devastated. A few days before I turned 60, I was suddenly a widow. But really, I was typical. Surprisingly, the average age at which a wife becomes a widow is 59.4. About 1 million women a year in the U.S. experience what may be the most stressful event…

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…

Before Great Gram got hitched at age 20, as they used to say, she was a teacher in a one-room rural Iowa schoolhouse. After marriage, she wasn’t allowed to teach. That was written in her contract. As a teacher, she called her readin’ and writin’…