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Personal Power

Too many older adults feel as though they have lost power as they age. The exact opposite may be true, and this category assembles the blogs that explain and celebrate this certainty: Our personal power may remain strong and useful in our later years.

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Attractive communities

(Today’s entry is NOT about your nearby senior citizen lifestyle complex, or about Del Webb properties anywhere in the world. Instead, I’ve been thinking about how so many congregations are truly attractive.) Over the years I’ve noticed that some congregations don’t think of themselves as attractive anymore. That saddens me, because that kind of thinking can become as self-predictive as it may beMORE...

Rewind, review, restate

(Today I revisit, reexamine and repeat familiar thoughts: When at our best, you and I can be a hopeful part of the solution(s) to the crises we see in the world today. This matter calls for repetition, this time with emphasis….) Perhaps like you, I wonder what to do about the waves of large-scale problems coming towards us from the near future. But—as I’ve noted in other entries over the years—weMORE...

Countering short-term memory loss

(The Amateur Brain Scientist part of me has landed on this interesting thought: What if some of our dreaded short-term memory loss could be counteracted by some changes in our lifestyle habits or contexts? Today some noodling in that direction….) Some of us might be quietly fretting about the possibility that our short-term memory seems to be slipping. Small stuff at first—misplacingMORE...

Micro-affirmations REVISED

(Ready to start pushing back against the haters and ranters? Something different than matching their tactics or risking their kind of eventual personal discombobulation?  Today some thoughts….) Some people try to counter the loud noises of anger addicts and those who feed them by yelling louder, bombarding them with equally-angry words or smashing-and-grabbing their well-being. This doesn’t workMORE...

Micro-affirmations

(Ready to start pushing back against the haters and ranters? Something different than matching their tactics or risking their kind of eventual personal discombobulation?  Today some thoughts….) Some people try to counter the loud aggressions of anger addicts and those who feed them by yelling louder, bombarding them with equally-angry words or smashing-and-grabbing their well-being. This doesn’tMORE...

Imagining the next life stages IV

(Today’s blog is the last in a series of four entries that treat a matter that most older adults eventually face: How will we live well when that becomes difficult?) When the necessary preliminary work is finished, what’s left is the task of finding life-care arrangements that fit our expectations and hopes. Some are intangible—the feel of a facility, personal characteristics of likelyMORE...

Imagining the next life stages III

(Today’s blog is the third in a series of entries that treat a matter that most older adults eventually face: How will we live well when we can no longer take care of ourselves?) Once we’ve confronted our fears and worked at reframing our thinking, the next steps seem to be largely practical: Research the optimum facilities and choose the best options. There might be an intermediate step, though:MORE...

Imagining the next life stages I

(Today’s blog is the first of a series of four entries that treat a matter that most older adults eventually face: How will we live well when that becomes difficult?) Presently, Chris and I take care of ourselves, our capabilities not yet severely diminished. I think we’re ready for what comes next. We’ve followed the guidance of counselors, physicians, financial advisors and friends, putting inMORE...

Magnificat revisited

Earlier in life, I took heart from the Magnificat’s message (Luke 2:46-55). Perhaps God could use me to feed hungry people, cast down the mighty from their seats, show mercy to those who were poor and put humble people in places of power! That felt like a righteous, even prophetic ministry. I also missed something along the way. I had overlooked another side of Mary’s borrowed and revised songMORE...

Thankswriting

One of Chicagoland’s best newspaper columnists is a guy named *Neil Steinberg. Like all good writers, he’s nimble with words. His faith, heritage and life experience have rendered him wise, empathetic and honest. His columns consistently shine light on difficult subjects, and he showers kindness on under-appreciated facets of civic life. He’s transparent about his emotions, his struggles and hisMORE...

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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