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April 2018

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Celebrating older birthdays

  Some older adults I know profess a lack of interest in celebrating their birthdays in any significant way. This attitude may come from their feeling that there’s not much to celebrate once you come to a certain age plateau. So it could seem pointless to observe a birth anniversary—“It’s just not that important how old I am.” Other possibilities: Not wanting others to make a fuss about youMORE...

Been there….

  At this point in our lives, it can feel good to state—with some authority—that we’ve “been there.” This is a shorthand way of saying that the depth and breadth of our life histories might be valuable for others. That the accumulation of our skills and experiences might also name our enduring practical wisdom. Recalling this truth about our lives may equip us to be story-tellers of highMORE...

A hypocrite’s hope

  When I was a young lad, I learned that hypocrisy is a bad attribute. Jesus did not like hypocrites—mostly leaders who were not practicing true religion. In high school, I was taught an added fact: Most of us are hypocrites in one way or the other, me included. Now hypocrisy came home, but with a double-standard irony: Others’ duplicity was easier to see and condemn than my own. SomeMORE...

Frozen fashion?

  This entry presents another perspective on a perhaps-puzzling later-in-life matter: Those older folks whose apparel and personal appearance may seem frozen in time. First, the phenomenon—one you may observe in others OR a way of life you’re starting to adopt: Patterns of clothing, shoes, grooming, jewelry or accessories that might suggest that they or you may have stopped caring aboutMORE...

Decluttering decluttering

  Somewhere along the line, this blog shifted out from under my grasp. I fully intended to spotlight the best-selling book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, a newer entry in the growing field of decluttering. The more I thought about the subject, the more it skittered away from easy definitions or explanations. This made me wonder if I needed to straighten up decluttering in my ownMORE...

Suddenly and surely frail

  If we live long enough, we eventually age into frailty. The imperfections and infirmities of old age gather at the perimeters of our daily lives—biding their time, respectful of our earlier elderliness, but also certain that they will eventually come into the center of our existence and self-images. That they will have their way with us. I have watched as this inevitable part of life hasMORE...

Filling the hole

When my former career came to an end, retirement’s opportunities seemed well-defined. I was ready for whatever ”refirement” was supposedly all about. A small problem still stares at me, though: A vaguely empty space deep inside. My former identity—filled with role expectations, prescribed routines, well-known relationships and largely predictable cause-and-effect sequences—was no longer availableMORE...

A modest proposal

  All “modest proposals” usually start with modest questions. So take this title as a sign that I’m not sure how to write about a current situation that may be vexing you and me. The matter: The continuing anxiety I feel when confronted or assaulted by political news of the day or moment. To be specific, the ways in which otherwise thoughtful and righteous folks have yielded their moralMORE...

Bob Sitze

BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.

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