Life’s Passages

As I write this, I’m flying home from a three-day reunion with my two older sisters. My husband did not want me to go. “Why put yourself through traveling right now?” he said. “You’re in terrible shape.” Truth be told, at the moment, I’m not feeling so hot. I’m ten days away from spinal surgery…

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LAST STOP: THE MEMORY CARE UNIT

As my mother grew older, she regularly scoffed at the suggestion that she should consider purchasing nursing home insurance. Indeed, the thought of my powerhouse mom shut away in a long care facility seemed preposterous.

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The Stories We Tell Ourselves

In fiction writing, we have something called the “unreliable narrator”—a story-teller that we eventually discover can’t be counted on for objective accuracy or full disclosure. We readers often end up surprised by what the “truth” is. “Truth,” however, is a slippery concept. There is a sense in which all of us are unreliable narrators. The…

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About Caregiving

Dear Friends: Wanted to share these comments I made at a recent church service on caregiving. I’d love to hear from you about any experiences or concerns you have in connection with caregiving. Here goes: A few years ago, a small group of us sat in a circle at church doing some New Year’s sharing.…

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