Growing old is not for sissies An eighty-four year-old woman watched her children put price tags on her belongings. Her eyes filled with tears as she silently reminisced about the things piled high on makeshift tables in her garage. There was the pink vase that she’d bought with green stamps as a young mother. An [...]
By Missy Buchanan Not long ago I stood with my feet in the clear water of the Caribbean. It was a quiet morning as I lingered and listened to the natural rhythm of the waves that was interrupted only by an occasional boat passing in the distance. From the corner of my eye, I could [...]
An Ash Wednesday Reflection By Missy Buchanan At last year’s Ash Wednesday service, my husband and I sat behind an older couple who had been our friends since we first joined the church thirty years before. The elderly pair had served in every imaginable church leadership position during their long lives. Even at age ninety-one, [...]
Index Card Insights Missy Buchanan  I often have the opportunity to lead older adult retreats around the country. During the events of the day, I like to mix in activities that cause older adults to honestly reflect on their lives. Sometimes I give each senior adult a large index card and ask them to [...]
Missy Buchanan A few years ago, an older friend lost his wife to a sudden, unexpected illness and death. He was overwhelmed with grief and wondered how he would go on living without her. One of their old friends phoned him when she first heard the news. She was living in Europe at the time [...]