WOW: Women's Older Wisdom

My Women’s History Month Love Notes

During Women’s History Month, the tendency is to celebrate famous women in the arts and politics, often ignoring those less famous women who have made an indelible impression on our lives.  This year I’m celebrating Women’s [...]

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Death and Dying3

Listening to Elders

The passing down of elder wisdom is an honored tradition among cultures like the Natives Americans and the Japanese where elders are sought out for their sage advice. Unfortunately, this intergenerational exchange rarely happens in America’s youth-obsessed culture, which devalues elders and their lived experiences. But as more Americans [...]

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How to Support One Who’s Grieving

“Grief is the price you pay for love.”  Amy Bloom For a long time, as hard as I tried, I was awkward and uncomfortable in my attempts to  comfort the newly grief-stricken.  When a close friend or relative was hit with a death, I fulfilled my moral obligation to make contact, but no matter how often I reached out to someone who was grieving, [...]

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This Isn’t Exactly What We Had Planned*

* Carly Simon, “Legend in Your Own Time” GUEST POST by ANNE PENWAY This was not supposed to happen. Not when it did. I expected my midlife would include caregiving for my parents. And it did. I was the first responder to gradually escalating parental health crises for sixteen years. I expected to outlive my husband. Most women do.  The [...]

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