Magical Memoir Moments

Stuart's book project is complete now

“YOU Do Not Have Cancer. WE Have Cancer.”

He found a lump near his ear when he was shaving. He went to the doctor right away and was referred for tests and then to an ENT specialist/surgeon. The doctors said most of these tumors are benign. But to be sure, the surgeon ordered a deep needle biopsy. On Nov. 22 we received the…

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A Letter to Our Grandchildren about Peace, Courage, Love, Justice, Kindness and Loyalty

Dear reader, we are still writing the letter below to our grandchildren. They haven’t seen it yet. We invite you to pretend you are almost 12, or 10 (we chose to write to the developmental level of the older two. The younger one, age 5, will want to be right in there with them but…

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Stuart at "work," holding his grandpa mug

My Husband’s Project: Biographical Geneaology

What do retired people do all day long? Stuart and I have been answering that question a little differently every year for the last eighteen years. Stuart retired from Goshen College in 2004. I left my last full-time position in 2010. For 28 years we both worked at Goshen College, changing jobs (I had nine…

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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…

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The purple dahlia.

What I Learned from Julia Spicher Kasdorf’s Mother

Virginia was terribly chagrined that she forgot to bring flowers, her intended house warming present, the day we went to lunch together. I laughed and told her to surprise one of her new neighbors, since she lives 20 minutes away and she is even newer to Lancaster County retirement community living than we are. But,…

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Go down the steps to Greco's ice cream and up the steps to Bruno's Hoagies.

Location, Location, Location: Choosing It and then Exploring it

Q: What are the three most important things about choosing a new home? A: Location, location, location. Why did we choose Warwick Woodlands? There are, after all, dozens of other retirement communities in Lancaster County, PA. In 2018, in fact, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lancaster County as the #1 retirement destination in the…

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Daddy adn Mother with little brother Henry and me, about 1955.

One is Silver and the Other Gold: Making Friends after 70

When I was about five years old and discouraged about some relationship with another child, I asked my parents how to make a friend. My parents were both young, in their twenties, but on this subject they were wise beyond their years. “To make a friend, be a friend.” Did my mother say it, or…

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Neighbors Donna and Anna having an early-morning chat.

Porch Culture: Where Architecture and Hospitality Meet

A few mornings ago, I stepped out my front door here in Warwick Woodlands, and there was neighbor Donna talking to neighbor Anna over the porch railing. Just the sight of them gave me a pleasant little frizzon — that “electric feeling behind the navel” that informs me that something profound is speaking to me….

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Photo by Jack Rutt

From This Valley They Say We Are Going: Another Turning Point

 A few days ago I wrote about the long, cold winter our family has endured. This week new life has erupted. Daffodils are budding, and the early ones are dancing in the breeze.     This beautiful passage from the second chapter of the Song of Solomon speaks for us: “Arise, my love, my fair…

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Couldn't find any Pepsi in glass bottles, so I went with my water bottle.

So Much Fun: Making Collage Photos and Getting Chills

A few weeks ago everyone seemed to be playing with FaceApp, which aged faces of young people. You could see yourself in the future, say, fifty years from now. On our second honeymoon to Nova Scotia, we did the reverse.   These collages were much fun to make. They were taken almost exactly fifty years…

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