A story in today’s feature section profiles the challenges and rewards of the baby boomer generation: we endure loss, grief, which peaks when we are in our 50s. Some losses are predictable – the death of a parent, the children leaving home. Some are not: unemployment, the end of a marriage.  But even when we expect something like the death of a parent, the grief comes.

However, this time is not without benefit. We gain self-awareness, wisdom, and understanding of what is important in life. We have a greater sense of clarity and purpose in our lives. Boomers are 70 million strong – now aged 48-66 – and are working hard to learn from their experiences and from each other.

Life’s transitions seem mirrored in nature:  cycles of “dying,” letting go, a time of quiet or dormancy, then the new life, new beginnings. Our losses serve not only as something to move through, but they also come rich with lessons, to strengthen us with wisdom and compassion.

(S-R archives photo: Grass widows and buttercups)

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