Want to leave a legacy?

Make the last third of life the best ever.

Hello, friends, Grandma Shirley here. I'm co-authoring a book with Marilyn McEntyre called The Mindful Grandparent: The Art of Loving Our Children's Children, forthcoming from Broadleaf Books, May, 2022.

Want to make your life as a grandparent even better? Please join us!

My life now is focused on becoming an elder, serving rising elders and future generations, learning together about the nature of love. In 2013 I published Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Previously, I was a professor, a college president (Goshen College), and a foundation executive (the Fetzer Institute).

Make Your Own Magic!

Most recent blog posts

Wearing her raspberry beret as she announces "KindYouFind" has launched.

Take Your Mother to Work Day: Episode Two

My mother and I tried one second-hand store in the 1960’s. It was dark, the clothing was not attractively presented, and we weren’t sure we wanted anyone to see us go in or out. Second-hand shopping simply meant you couldn’t afford new clothes. There was a stigma attached. Enter 2022. Every town has at least…

Lancaster County "girl group" about 1944. My mother, Barbara Ann Hess, is front and center, holding hands and looking right into the camera.

Take Your Mother to Work Day: Episode One

You’ve heard of Take Your Daughter to Work Day? Recently, I flipped the script and asked my daughter if she was up for Take Your Mother to Work Day. She was! But before we go to work, a story. Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to shop for clothes with her…

Grandma Shirley and Granddad Stuart with Julia (9) and Owen (10).

Grandparent Day — A Day of Rejoicing and Thanksgiving

Have you ever attended a Grandparents Day event as a child or adult? Perhaps on the second Sunday in September, the “official” Grandparent Day? Or maybe you have been invited to a grandchild’s school? Our Tulsa, OK, grandchildren, ages 10 and 9, invited us to attend Grandparent Days at their school recently. We were able…