In this category are Full of Years blogs that examine how time fills the lives of older persons. Time as a gift and time as a responsibility. Implicit in all entries: This is a good time to be living fully.
Most of us want to be remembered after we’ve died. Many of us might not think about the value of our leaving behind some artifacts—memories embedded in memorable items—that will help others continue their fond memories of us. (Remember that tender reminiscences can be powerful motivations for behaviors that emulate what a dearly departed friend or relative embodied.) Suzy Strunk of suburbanMORE...
I spend significant time in the waiting rooms of my several doctors. It struck me recently that this was a time that could be repurposed for godly purposes, and hence redeemed! The time in a waiting room time can be a way to restore spirits, dispel distressing emotions or rescue your fullest spiritual identity. People watching prayers The weight of illnesses or continuing medical conditions sitsMORE...
“You reap what you sow”—is a lifestyle axiom that exists in almost all religious traditions. At this time of life, we’re “paying later”—dealing with the consequences of actions or inactions that took place long ago. It’s a tough part of being older, an expected phenomenon that’s still irksome. (Some examples: We didn’t floss when we were younger, and now the endodontist is our new best friendMORE...
I’ve just finished viewing the PBS series, The VietNam War, and have come to this thought: Those of you who served the country during this time—whether or not in combat, whether or not willingly—may be America’s next “Greatest Generation.” Looking at the world and life through the eyes of the men and women in the documentary, I’m pretty sure that we may have underestimated your importance to ourMORE...
This blog is part of an ongoing series that answers this simple question: What might it mean for older adults to claim that they are still “fearfully and wonderfully made?” Today I want to invite you into a neurological universe called “neurogenesis,” which you will remember from Biology 101 in high school. (Actually, you WON’T remember this amazing capability of the [older] adult brain, becauseMORE...
Vietnam vets—this one’s for you…. I’ve been watching the Ken Burn’s PBS documentary, The Vietnam War ( ) and it occurred to me that I should write these few words to you…. I want to acknowledge that you may have sacrificed some important parts of your life in order to serve the country in that war: Your education, your friendships, your youth, your spirit and probably your physical well-beingMORE...
It’s pretty noisy out there—perhaps especially for those of us who are older. Not just literal noise and not just because we can’t handle the ringing in our ears or high-decibel sounds. The world today is filled with clamorous commotion in every way, most of it moving too fast and perhaps unaware of those of us who move deliberately and quietly through life. Those of us who treasureMORE...
A graveyard is a good place to gain perspective on life—in all its tenses and tensions. The past tugging at the shirt sleeves of the present; the future hiding behind gravestones; today’s dirt and dust hiding yesterday’s ashes. In a cemetery, all of life can be rolled into one picture: A collection of markers that signal the lives of remarkable people. Cemeteries also call to mind the questionMORE...
In just a few days, an elderly friend of mine will begin her residency at a convalescent center. It’s a reasonably efficient and caring place, and the care that residents receive is rated highly. This move won’t be easy for my friend: This will feel like “the last place” she’ll live. Most likely she will be institutionalized there until the time of her death. This is still another step-down: FromMORE...
Here’s something you can put in your GOOD TO BE OLD file: By virtue of being old, you know stuff that most people have never heard about! (You met Mother Theresa, and learned that her hands were soft. You know how to attach flowers to Rose Parade floats! You can explain the difference between Scriptural exegesis and eisegesis.) How’s that an advantage? By this time in your life, you haveMORE...
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.