Unlike Bill and Kris featured in Parts 1 and 2 of this Transitions series, Brenda chose another way, a “turn-key” sabbatical experience as a way of pausing to discern the next steps in life. Pondering retirement from the US Army, Brenda wasn’t sure how the post-military phase of her life would unfold. A friend recommended that…
Body / faith / family values / happiness / Intentional living / parenting
Kris Casey chose a serendipitous approach for her post-work life. Upon retirement from a corporate accounting job, she was exhausted and burned out. It took 10 months before she felt restored enough to plan her next steps. She used this time primarily for fitness: working out at a gym, walking and bike riding, and catching…
What will you do when you grow up? Children often get asked this question, but it’s one we should continue probing throughout life, remembering as we get older, the answers will vary. We are not one and done. Life is change, and what happens is often not under our control. For certain transitions, the planning…
When I met Jack Norton he was eighty years old: energetic, outgoing and long-since retired after almost forty years in the US Army. I’d been waiting on a friend in the bar at West Point’s Thayer Hotel when he walked in and pulled up a chair. Norton was there for an alumni conference and wore…
I’m trying to muddle through. But there are days when the pieces look like they won’t ever go together. Honestly, some days the pieces don’t even look like they belong together. I have learned the hard way I am an overachiever, excessively compelled to volunteer. When someone I know says, “Can you help me __________?”…
As the on-call chaplain, I had answered a page to the neurological ICU to be with family as doctors reported unequivocal results of testing. The patient was brain dead and not going to survive the stroke that caused her hospitalization. Her distraught daughter cried, “It’s too soon!” The patient was 85 years old. Is there…
I can’t even count the number of times I have said, “Just a minute, I’ll be right there,” to my kids. Embroiled in the minutia required to keep a family fed, clothed and running, I often missed some of the fun, or at least, joined it already in progress. Eventually, it became a habit —…
When I told my book group that I had finished and uploaded my thesis, one of the members asked about my topic. After sharing that I had researched and written about end-of-life, Joanne asked if I was including near-death experiences (NDE). NDEs are mentioned by some people who have survived traumas, where in the midst of…
But not when you want it to. Only when you are stuck at the DMV. Yup! I had to renew my driver’s license. But I could not just do it online. I had to come in for the new “Real ID”. There was a new feature — I was able to make an appointment, so…
“I am determined to have a different ending to my story” Written by Bonnie Black and found by police during her murder investigation My neighbor, Bonnie, was stabbed in April 2015. Her husband was convicted of his estranged wife’s murder and sentenced to two life terms. The judicial system is clear–take a person’s life and…
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” ERA amendment text Just one more state is needed to reach the magic number (3/4 of states) in order for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to become an amendment. Currently, thirty…
Namasté. My spirituality group has been meeting since 2010. While only two of us remain from the original configuration, our membership is stable with group size capped at twelve to foster a level of intimacy, trust, and sharing. The same women have reaffirmed their commitment over the last few years. For our group, we chose…
