(Editor’s Note: Across the country, communities are fraying in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Many people are dealing with a multitude of emotions, including grief — both past and present. So we are republishing this Next Aven… Continue reading
It was a typical gray and cool October day when we arrived in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. The last time I was there, I was a toddler, visiting my Oma and Opa (grandmother and grandfather) with my parents. I’m 58 now. When my husband Peter said e… Continue reading
My mother, 72, had been a widow for three years when she was set up by mutual friends with Hank, a 75-year-old widower whose wife had died a few months before. Hank lived in Boston and she was in New York City, so they’d spent many hours on the phone b… Continue reading
(Editor’s Note: This is part of our Loneliness + Isolation series brought to you by Consumer Cellular.) Various surveys of older Americans have found that between 33% and 43% of them are lonely. But we wanted to find out how lonely, what makes them fee… Continue reading
Late on a Thursday afternoon, my fiance, Perry, and I stood at the threshold of my family room. I brushed off a piece of lint from his black tuxedo, then clutched the right side of my dusty rose gown to avoid tripping on the delicate hem. As classical … Continue reading
My friend Carla saw almost everything in life as a creative challenge — a moment to brainstorm and make a statement. If there was a potluck brunch, no way was she picking up a dozen bagels. Instead, she’d find a recipe for pear-ginger coffee cake, go b… Continue reading
Often, adult children need some money from their parents. But what do you do when your parents need financial help? You won’t be alone. According to a 2019 study by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, 8% of Gen Xers and 3% of boomers say su… Continue reading
In 2013, the United States took a major step forward in the fight for marriage equality, thanks in large part to the determination — and courage — of the late Edie Windsor. The New York City-based octogenarian was the lead plaintiff in a landmark Supre… Continue reading
“Turn off the lights.” “Why would you go out and spend money for coffee?” I grew up middle-class in the 1950s with a litany of lines like that from my Depression-era mother. Usually, I didn’t listen to them. But now that I’m 70 and figuring out ways to… Continue reading
“Turn off the lights.” “Why would you go out and spend money for coffee?” I grew up middle-class in the 1950s with a litany of lines like that from my Depression-era mother. Usually, I didn’t listen to them. But now that I’m 70 and figuring out ways to… Continue reading