Archives for Family and Relationships

It’s important to learn to love those close to you. You and the significant people in your life need to know what it takes to feel loved. What is your love language? What is theirs? If you aren’t speaking the right language, you may be misunderstood. Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages,… [Continue reading] How to love those close to you

Acts of love abound around Valentine’s Day. While Valentine’s Day is often depicted as a young lovers’ holiday, a You Tube video that went viral a number of years ago showed that love knows no age limits. I remember it because it was profoundly touching. The video showed an older gentleman expressing love and patience… [Continue reading] Acts of love

Old traditions and new traditions are very much a part of any holiday. This is especially true in the season between Thanksgiving and the new year. This is an excellent time to make plans to spend time with family and friends and to leave a legacy. Do you celebrate old traditions passed on for generations… [Continue reading] Old traditions, new traditions

Role reversal with aging parents can be challenging to navigate. You, as the caregiver, want what is best for them. However, many of our parents cling to their independence, and understandably so. I remember when my dad, who at the time was in his late 80s, had several fender benders and we were worried that… [Continue reading] The challenge of role reversal with aging parents

Over the years, I have had conversations with friends and relatives who are faced with serious concerns about caring for aging parents. Some are boomers who live close to their parents. Others live in different states than their parents and must travel quite a distance just to see them. If a parent is in another… [Continue reading] Caring for aging parents

To be proactive in caring for elderly parents now or later, I would like you to consider some questions. Their answers could help you be prepared for the future. • Is your parent willing to have this “next stage of life” conversation with you in preparation for when they will need more care? • If… [Continue reading] Be prepared to care for elderly parents

No one is entirely comfortable talking about death and dying. But it is important to talk about the kind of care you, or a loved one, want to receive at the end of life and to share how and where you want to say goodbye if you have a choice. These candid conversations make it… [Continue reading] Beginning the conversation about death and dying

Preparation for death is a gift you give yourself, whether you are the person who is dying or someone who is losing a loved one. As I mentioned in my post “Why Talk About Death Before A Loved One Dies?”  I wish my family and I had been better prepared for my mother’s death of… [Continue reading] Preparation and planning for death

Death is seldom discussed so why talk about death before a loved one dies? Death is a natural part of life. When we acknowledge this, we can start to face our fears and prepare for this life transition just as we have worked and prepared for other life transitions. We need to talk about death… [Continue reading] Why talk about death before a loved one dies?

Would we respect age more if we took Dr. Bill Thomas’ words to heart? He said that “aging is not a problem. Aging is a process that allows you to surrender the things that matter least so you can take hold of what matters most.” My sister and I got a lesson in how other… [Continue reading] What do you do to respect age?