Archive

March 2019

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Stranger danger

Today’s entry is meant especially for older guys. Although I’m keeping the tone light, this matter is serious enough to encourage men past a certain age to be aware of the possibility that they may be perceived as dangerous, even when they are not. Just when we thought we were aging into a stage in life when our older-guy presence provided calm and assurance to those around us, the opposite mayMORE...

Lingering memories

The longer I live, the more memories I have stored up. This truism about older adulthood comes with a slight twist: It might become harder for me to dwell on any single memory. Each recollection —rich in its depth and satisfaction—can compete with the others for my attention, time and energy. There are good reasons to hold on to a specific memory for more than a few seconds. Any of myMORE...

A different twist on advocacy

Today I want to invite you to try a kind of advocacy that you might enjoy: Being in direct contact with businesses who are making—or could make—a difference in our world. First a story….. I love apples, and so have enjoyed a Trader Joe’s “Autumn Glory” apples, produced by the good folks at SuperFresh Growers in Yakima, Washington. Because Trader Joe’s has recently agreed to start limitingMORE...

A return to letter-writing?

It may seem counter-intuitive, but there seems to be a resurgence in letter-writing as a form of communications—as in “hand-written, stamped-and-mailed” letters! In the current online edition of *YES! Magazine freelance writer Susan Abram details how pen pal clubs are sprouting up across the country, also observing that millennials are purchasing greeting cards in increasing numbers. There’s evenMORE...

Obit-diving

At the edge of foodie-culture is the practice of “dumpster-diving.” What practitioners sensibly advocate is an enlightened approach to finding food that has been needlessly discarded, some of it into dumpsters. What’s fully rational about this idea: There is hope and nourishment in what’s at first-glance NOT a place to find useful sustenance. I think there’s a partial connection here to theMORE...

New friends

The research is consistent: Having friends adds to our well-being. On any number of health indexes, we’re better off if we have friends. Sociability benefits our minds, bodies and spirits. Older adults are less lonely than other age groups—especially teens and young adults—but we have to face another reality: The number of our friends shrinks steadily as we age. We who are older need to make newMORE...

Climate Conversation 6: Emotional responses

Today’s entry is part of an occasional set of observations about changes in the world’s climate that will affect all of us, old and young alike. The series bends toward a key question: As God’s people, how should we respond? Today’s entry: Dealing with our emotions. All decisions start with emotions. That’s one way to characterize how neurobiologists think about changing our behaviors. (RationalMORE...

A student will appear

  “When you are ready to learn, your teacher will appear.” So goes a *maxim that helps us realize how, at just the right time, wisdom is readily available to us. During my lifetime, I’ve experienced the truth—and usefulness—of this saying. It’s helped me be aware of one of the ways God can bless me with the insights of others. I’ve wondered whether this aphorism also works the other wayMORE...

Old hands

As long ago as my high school years, I’ve been told that I had strong hands. Because I played the piano and organ back then, I always thought of this as a compliment. My own appraisal: They were old hands—long, skinny, bony, wrinkled and ridged with bulging blood vessels, tendons and musculature. Oddly enough, some folks thought of my hands as one of my strange charms. (When you’re balding, youMORE...

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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