More and more older women are discovering a new voice: one that embraces a newfound freedom. Sharon Blackie, author of Hagitude, ...
Crafting Healing Stories to Shed Anger
One of the most valuable lessons aging has bestowed on me is the importance of shedding anger. The less anger I hold the more inner peace I possess. I’ve learned to release a lot of my anger by imagining myself inhabiting the lives of those who have hurt me, resulting in a new story where I experience compassion towards the other. This [...]
Pat Taub
Call for Guest Writers
WOW is looking to feature guest writers on topics related to older women (50+) and aging. In particular, we’re interested in women’s wellness, personal experiences with ageism and sexism, but all topics will be considered. Our focus is to provide women a platform to disrupt the one-dimensional archetypes of women over 50. Writers [...]
J
Gaza, Granddaughter Jane, Signs of Spring & More!
Poor Gaza! The past few weeks have seen 111 unarmed Gazan protestors shot by Israeli forces as they gathered at the Israeli border to mark Nakba, the day 70 years ago when Israel forced Gazans to leave their homeland. Ever since they have been living under tight Israeli military rule in what many call the “world’s largest open-air prison.” [...]
Pat Taub
In Memory of Cecile Richards (1957-2025): Guidelines for Trouble Makers
Cecile Richards died on Monday, January 20, 2025. She was the courageous President of Planned Parenthood from 2006-2018, when the organization was under sharp attack by conservatives. She helped fend off attacks to cut its funding or to restrict access to abortions. In her memory, I’m reposting my WOW post about her from May, 2018 [...]
Pat Taub
Healing the Mother Wound
Mother’s Day can be an unsettling occasion for those adult daughters with a pronounced mother wound. A celebration of mothers can reawaken a daughter’s memories of the maternal hurt she experienced growing up and which continues to affect her primary relationships. The mother wound can be traced to a woman’s proclivity to rejection, [...]
Pat Taub
August in May, A Sudden Death, Appearing in the Boston Globe & More!
August in May Wow! Wednesday set a record for Portland, Maine with temps climbing close to 90! It was crazy in that the previous day I was wearing a spring coat and a day later I’m in a T-shirt and thin slacks. Does this portend an unusually hot summer? It certainly speaks to the erratic temps brought on by global warming. [...]
Pat Taub
Pondering My Activist Slump
In church this Sunday the progressive minister quoted the biblical passage: “To whom much is given, much is expected.” I squirmed in my seat reflecting on my white privileged lifestyle, feeling guilty about how little I’ve done to protest the Orange Monster’s wrecking machine. It’s not like I’m unfamiliar to activism. I was [...]
Pat Taub
Cosby is Nailed, Season 2 of A Hand Maid’s Tale, Gaza & More!
Justice is Served! Like women across the country I celebrated yesterday’s guilty verdict for Bill Cosby. One news story claimed he assaulted over 62 women! Let’s hope this verdict sends an alarm to other perpetrators and would-be perpetrators. Next let’s pray that before too long the Orange Monster pays for his sexual assaults! A [...]
Pat Taub
When Loss Brings Up More Than I Bargained For
This past weekend I attended the memorial service for Connie Chandler Ward, one of the founders of Greenfire, a women’s spiritual retreat center in Tenants Harbor, Maine. Connie, a former Wellesley chaplain had been a spiritual mentor to me and many others. As I rushed out the door I stuffed a packet of travel-sized Kleenex in my purse, [...]
Pat Taub
Black Prenatal Care, White Privilege, Earth Day & More
A Profound Report on How Racism Impacts Black Mothers and Infants I was very moved by last Sunday’s New York Times magazine cover story with the haunting title, “Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis.” The article documents how Black women’s serious medical conditions during pregnancy and after are [...]
Pat Taub