How could a couple, 61-years married, celebrate their anniversary? They agree to a photo shoot with props inspired by the movie “Up,” a gift from their family. Donald and Dorothy Lutz have only one photograph from their wedding, but a scrapbook filled with great photos…
As the year ends, many people are assessing their lives and planning for 2014. And for Boomers, retirement may be one possible option. Look at the history of retirement, trends and most of all, make plans before you write that farewell memo. (See Boomer U…
Remember waking up to Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel? The team will join Matt Lauer on Today for a reunion on Monday’s show. Jane Pauley continues to grace the screen of Today each month with a segment on older Americans and their encore careers. Worth…
Many times we have cleaned our glasses or contact lenses and our view of the world has not improved. Hazy skies? No, cataracts. And they are the leading cause of blindness, but also a normal process of aging. The surgery is the most common one…
My cousin decided last year that this year her children would receive only three Christmas gifts citing that Jesus had three gifts – one from each wise man. She worried that they would feel short-changed. They did not. Instead, they were delighted and attentive. Do…
Before she died, Brenda Schmitz wrote a letter asking that her three wishes be fulfilled – when the time was right. The time would be right when her husband found a new love. Two years later, the letter was sent – anonymously – to a…
Remember the thrill of being able – allowed - to stay up as late as you want? My, how age changes our desires. Sleep and its ability to restore and delight us seem more appealing as we age. Sweet dreams. (S-R archive photo)
He is Time magazine’s "Person of the Year;" he is tweeted about and talked about and loved. He celebrated his birthday last week and invited in homeless neighbors. Later in the week when a woman’s baby was crying, he suggested the child needed to be…
December 22: Soon the days will offer daylight noticeably longer. The shadows of 4:30 will disappear and sunshine will linger. Some believe that depression is greatest this time of year. Take George Bailey who tries to kill himself in “It’s a Wonderful Life” by jumping…
Clara Gantt waited 63 years for her beloved’s return. His body arrived at LAX on Friday and 95-year-old Clara was there to accept his remains. Clara’s husband, Sgt. First Class Joseph Gannt, had been presumed dead after being captured as a prisoner of war in…
In Balsas, Ecuador, an isolated community, many of its citizens have Laron syndrome, a genetic mutation that causes dwarfism – and may hold a key to preventing cancer as well as diabetes. If scientists can develop the pharmacological substance that would mimic Laron syndrome, it…
Lots of talk about Duck Dynasty’s character who recently said gay relationships are “sinful.” His detailed comments now have him suspended from the show. When does “free speech” cross the line? And why, oh why, do some who describe themselves as Christians make such hateful…
After spending 7 hours on the freeway, travelling 60 miles, I walked through our front door claiming I felt like Goldie Hawn’s character in “Overboard.” Hawn spends hours with a chain saw in hand and later sits in a semi-catatonic state muttering, “ba-ba-ba-ba-.” And I…
Our pets give us unconditional love and attention. As the prayer says, “Please God, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am.” Well, something like that. Somehow the attention of one's dog (or, I admit for some, one’s cat) can…
…has died. O’Toole, a British actor of stage and screen, was a wildly handsome and just plain wild man who earned eight Academy Award nominations, but never won the award. He won hearts instead. He is best known for his role in “Lawrence of Arabia.”…
As the ads for “stuff” continue to inundate us with shopping messages, it is easy to be consumed with consumerism. However, we can find our own ways to celebrate the holy holidays. Yesterday we celebrated “Friends-giving.” We gathered with our friends of 30 years (and…
We remember the news of one year ago: 20 children, six staff members in an idyllic elementary school, killed. Our lives have gone on, but those families and their community continue to struggle with the loss of innocence and the loss of precious loved ones.…
When I heard the news that Tom Royce, SJ, had left his Earthly journey, now welcomed into heaven, I grabbed my GU-in-Florence sweatshirt and put it on. The logo rests over my heart. Seems perfect. Tom Royce, SJ, taught philosophy at GU my freshman year.…
We have heard of the dangerous effects of drugs – including tobacco – on an unborn child. According to research funded by the National Institutes of Health, use of those substances during pregnancy can double or triple the chances of that child being “stillborn.” Health…
A colleague - L. Patrick Carroll - is home recovering from a hip replacement; he is a wonderful writer and shares the following poem. Enjoy his lovely words. The Christmas Feast I keep getting “fixed”; Stuff wears out or breaks. Hopes, dreams, ideals… Recently a…
Doctors are reporting stunning success in the ongoing fight against cancer. Gene therapy holds tremendous promise in fighting blood cancers such as leukemia. By changing a patient’s own cells into cells that attack the cancer, patients show no signs of cancer. Emily Whitehead, 8, of…
He was charming and fun and kind and smart. Oh, and I found him attractive – tall and confident, a bit reserved. A thinker. The party was filled with many interesting guests. But he and I continued to talk and talk only with each other;…
She always wanted to wear a wedding dress. But Ruth Crawford, 70, was married after WWII in a time when money was tight and men were going off to or returning from war. She married the love of her life on a Friday night in…
We have seen the guards and the pomp and ceremony that accompany popes as they travel. But Pope Francis I apparently manages to sidestep that protocol and slip out of his residence and into the community. He moves among the poor, those who move through…
Nelson Mandela has died. His rich and dramatic life, from prisoner to president, seems as though it could have been lived by many people, seems impossible that one man lived, survived and transformed a nation as well as transformed hearts. One remarkable man did; an…
Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.
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