Part II: Aging
“My children decided it’s time for me to move out of my house and join a retirement community. I don’t agree. I feel like I have no say anymore. I can still think, but they are not interested in hearing me out.” Sound familiar? This scenario is not uncommon. Aging can put strain on families.…
Charting a path to old age
Getting old was not something I looked forward to. The shift from being someone who gives to someone who receives requires adjustment, but with God’s help we can prepare for getting old gracefully. I kept this in mind when I built my house. It sits on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, with a beautiful…
Conference on aging and spirituality broadens international participation
This past June, scholars, practitioners, support workers, health-care experts and interested parties from across the globe gathered together virtually over the course of three weeks to advance the connections between spiritual practice and the effects of aging, at the ninth International Conference on Aging and Spirituality. Many health-care support workers and religious/spiritual practitioners recognize the…
Friendships that go ‘a little deeper’
Baby Boomers Plus, as its name implies, is a small group for people of a certain age. But it’s a small group with a difference. Three years ago, Claire Ewert Fisher was serving as Mount Royal Mennonite Church’s health minister. She knew that some older congregants were facing significant health challenges, so she invited them…
Spirituality and aging seminar nurtures courage and resilience
“Old age is not for sissies,” quipped Celia McBride, one of six presenters at the annual Aging and Spirituality Seminar sponsored by the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging (RIA) and hosted by Conrad Grebel University College on June 13-14. But, McBride said, we all have access to an “infinite well” of spiritual resources…
Can we talk about ageism?
A Winnipeg winter has many pleasures: plentiful sunshine, thick river ice for skating, cozy cafés and a wealth of artistic treasures. A Winnipeg winter is also long and challenging, hard on body and spirit. One of the ways I cope with winter is a trip to the spa, to soak in the hot mineral pool, sweat…
‘God just isn’t finished with me yet’
I was raised in a family with Scottish Presbyterian roots, where no one talked about faith for fear of being “too religious.” We trusted that seniors had it all figured out and their faith carried them, although we would be stretched to say we understood how. I wonder sometimes about their experience with God and…
A soon-to-be favourite recipe
We all have our favourite recipes. There is the tried and true. Or there’s the newly created ones that are fun to test and then turn into classics. One tried and true combination in life is older adults and children, yet it is a combination that may not be as common as either group would…
Enduring service
It would appear that 65 is the new 40 across Mennonite Church Canada. As Canadians continue to be active into their 60s, 70s and even 80s, so, too, are Mennonites remaining active in their churches well into their senior years. Whether this is by choice or by default depends on a number of factors, including…
Caring for our seniors
Across the country, many MC Canada churches are staring at the numbers and scratching their heads. As young people drift away from the church and the baby boomers retire, church leadership is faced with increasing numbers of grey heads. Those faithful church founders, so consistent in attendance and giving, have reached the declining years. For…
