elderly
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AARP (An Age Richly Producing)
I was mad. Fuming actually. Could not believe that the envelope I had just pulled from the mailbox was “an invitation to join AARP.” Certainly this was meant for someone else; someone really old. Not ME, the ponytailed girl who had just put in her ½ mile daily swim. But no, it really WAS me. … Read more
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by
in
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MEMORIES ARE MADE IN THE ROOMS OF THE MIND
“All week, trucks have been dumping appliances, stoves, A/C units, warped bookshelves, stain-soaked draperies and bed frames. Standing lamps and chairs stick out of these gargantuan piles like broken arms and legs. Newscasters sound amazed when they report, “There’s been no looting.” But the truth is, there is nothing salvageable to steal.” Read more
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HOLD YOUR HORSES!!
“I am extremely prejudiced towards old folks. Just love ’em. Guess you could say that I have a thing for crinkly wrinkles and a shuffling step. In fact, give me a sour codger over a surly teen ANY day of the week. At least they’ve earned it.” Read more
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A DAY FOR MOTHERS–A LIFETIME OF MOTHERING
“Many days have passed and those heads now tower over a space too small for their size. . .the nest has shifted several inches to the right and looks shabby. . .Displaced twigs and deebris have fallen to the ground underneath. Feathers and dung are splashed and stuck to the sides. There is nowhere for… Read more
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NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
“We will likely not even be here when our girls reach the age we are now. I have done the math. So I have to hope that the world they are aging into will one day embrace the wrinkles, the mottled skin and the dementias. For it does not now, and the gap between our… Read more
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OLD FOLKS & ARTICHOKES
“When Granny first taught me how to eat an artichoke, I was perturbed that I had to go through all those layers of armor just to get to that mushroom cap of a heart. Frankly, at 13, i thought the best part was the butter dipping.” Read more
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SIX YEAR-OLD SHARES SECRET OF LIFE
“I was raised by a grandmother who believed you should put your heart in the moment. She never looked back or too far forward and it drove me crazy……….. Read more
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THE “A” WORD
“She kissed tomatoes in the market, talked to the TV set when it wasn’t on and covered everything in our house with Kleenex.” Read more
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CAREGIVERS, UNSUNG YET SINGING
“Because she had no memory, we often told her it was our birthday simply to have the joy of hearing her sing that familiar refrain to us.” Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 