Entries in this category probe deeper thoughts about old age. Spirituality, self-image, relationships, hopes and yearnings — all the stuff of self-talk and core meaning for people who are older.
My wife and I are coming to the end of our second week of COVID-19 stay-at-home living. Chris put this experience into perspective a few days ago, when we were deciding what to do together. “Lord knows, we have the time,” she observed. “We can artfully sculpt our time into a beautiful day.” To be honest with you, I’ve had trouble accepting the blessing of abundant time. On the one hand, the giftMORE...
Over the past week or so, I’ve been waiting for the coronavirus news to settle down. Here’s why: Whether out of prudence, trying to fill empty leadership niches or injecting trust and truth back into the emotional economy, leaders of all kinds have been filling my mailbox with assurances and information. I appreciate their thoughtfulness. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, andMORE...
There’s a lot of caution going around now. Everywhere, it seems. As a preface for almost any announcement, caution-abundance carries the same amount of linguistic freight as the well-worn phrase, “We take (fill in the blanks) very seriously.” Assured by plentiful prudence, readers/viewers know that whatever they see/hear will be well-infused with the presumably admirable trait of caution. Lots ofMORE...
I don’t know if it’s just me, but this year’s Lenten season seems especially essential, relatable and inviting of my spirit. Lent themes and emotions seem strongly connected to current events almost everywhere I look. Thoughts arising out of the *COVID-19 outbreak are a good example. Perhaps Lent has gone viral? Lent calls me to confess my sinfulness, to seek forgiveness and to hope dearly forMORE...
Sometimes a word gets stuck in my mind and won’t leave until I bathe it in other words. The process of my word-mulling sometimes takes awhile, which can result in a properly aged expression—let’s say, moreover?—ready for use in blogs for older adults! At its simplest, moreover means something like “And in addition…” That works in a Bible passage like, “Moreover, it is required of stewards thatMORE...
Today’s entry continues a series of short musings about lectionary texts that may soon appear in your line-of-sight. These thoughts may be helpful in interpreting the appointed lessons with sensitivity to the realities faced by those who are older. MARCH Background This month cradles Lent in its conceptual and emotional hands. This season of the church year seems especially appropriate for olderMORE...
I’m not a total fan of artificial intelligence. I may be wrong—my intellect does not tower over the rest of humanity—but my older adult warning lights continue to flash: At its foundation, AI is still only an artifice of actual intelligence, perhaps lacking wisdom in its fullest sense. While we benefit from some applications of AI, self-idolatry may be embedded in other sectors of AI’s premisesMORE...
Today’s entry continues a series of short musings about lectionary texts that may soon appear in your line-of-sight. These thoughts may be helpful in interpreting the appointed lessons with sensitivity to the realities faced by those who are older. FEBRUARY Background It seems appropriate to look at biblical texts from the viewpoint of older adults, who were among the original writers, hearersMORE...
A few months ago, Liz, one of my former co-workers, died at a young age. This was one of those cases where “too soon for her to die” was true—an effervescent woman still perking along and inspiring others wherever she went. My initial grieving was compounded by the sadness of not having kept in touch over the years—lots of geographical distance. So I was not able to be part of the comfortingMORE...
Every so often, I am struck by how fragile our lives can be. So many of life’s difficult times begin with a startling moment that changes everything. With sometimes little warning, the exquisitely intricate facets of daily living can disappear suddenly. Lines that have bound us tightly to others fray and snap. Normal health dissipates in the face of sobering test results. An accident snuffs outMORE...
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.