I grew up in the fifties with practical parents - a mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it. A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived...

Eric and Tina were retired and quite happy with the way things were going. They had a nice home with a prize winning vegetable garden in a good family neighbourhood.  Eric had worked for the postal service for thirty-five years and had saved some money along the way as well. Their daughter was married to Mark and they were raising three beautiful...

Join me as we listen in on a family meeting. The fact that there is a family meeting actually happening is a tremendous credit to everyone involved. Many issues have been popping up that nobody wanted to deal with, but now it’s time.... Ralph and Eva are 80 and 78 and still live in their own home. 55 year-old Rick and his wife Pat live in the...

Will keeping in touch with old friends guarantee to keep you younger? Are well-tended relationships part of a “long life formula?” Can you fight aging by staying as close to as many family members as possible? Do you want to live a rich long life? Then make some friends and plan to spend some quality time with them on a regular basis. A...

The decision to place a loved one in an assisted living facility is a difficult but frequently unavoidable one. Even though the choice may be absolutely necessary, the person forced to make the decision for their spouse or parent often feels an overwhelming sense of guilt. When the time came for me to decide to place my mother, who suffers...

On May 25, 2001, Doug Rae of North Vancouver, British Columbia lost his wife Judy to cancer when she was only 61-years-old. What follows is an interview that occurred just over one year later. Hopefully it will provide a point of contact and inspiration to readers who are currently going through similar circumstances. Kevin: Describe your initial...

One night I had an unusual dream. "Lord," I asked, "what is this dream telling me?" The answer came into my mind: my father would die, my mother would run out under heavy dark clouds - and her neighbors would comfort her. The Lord gave me the reason for the prayer too: I was to be my parents' neighbor when they needed me; I was to buy a house in...