My older brother and I shared a common bit of philosophy. We agreed that any years granted us beyond a certain given age would simply be icing on the cake, and death at any point thereafter should not be viewed as a great tragedy. We felt that our life up to that...
In the fall of 2018, my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We had both just retired, and we were looking forward to many years of happiness together. We wanted to make up for all the busyness of our careers. We wanted to travel, to write, to share home and...
Are you aware of God-given opportunities? At the time, I wasn't!My cousin turned 80 on Friday, April 24th. Two days before, my phone rang, and thankfully, I recognized her Rochester area code -- not a telemarketer -- so I answered "Hello" numerous times. At last, I...
It was an early Autumn afternoon several years ago. The air was warm and the sun was bright but I still felt cold and gloomy on the inside. I was visiting my Dad in the local nursing home. I found him asleep in his bed. It felt so strange. He never slept in the...
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."...
There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. In her grief, she went to the holy man and said, "What prayers, what magical incantations do you have to bring my son back to life?" Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her,...
My father passed away suddenly when I was fifteen, and well I remember the stunned disbelief of family and friends at the loss of a vibrant, gifted husband and dad. In my memory, the funeral was surreal and muted; the still, pale figure in the coffin could not be the...