All I can say is that if you still have your spouse to love each other every day and express your love to each other verbally. When you have been married for 50 years and your spouse passes away you don't know how much you miss something when you don't have it no matter if you got along good or not - I lost my husband in October after 50 years of marriage and I didn't think I would ever miss him but as each day goes by I probably think of him more and more - you miss the talking - the look - the doing things together - you just miss everything - so my advice is to love each other so much.

Active in Many Areas

By Lara Wyatt
Larramme@msn.com
(Responses are welcome...send her an email!)

---

I am a single female 77 years of age, although I am assumed to be younger, partly genetic and partly because I am still young inside. I find humor is helpful in getting through tough times. I enjoy reading mysteries, novels, etc. I have also started reading the New Testament from the beginning, reading a chapter before I get up in the morning. I have never really done this and find it to be very interesting. When I finish the New Testament I will start on the Old Testament.

I enjoy socializing but don't find it necessary for everyday contentment. I enjoy my time alone most of the time as I enjoy my computer, reading, T.V. and in the spring I enjoy putting flowers on my deck since I live in an upstairs condo rather than a house. I keep in touch with grandchildren and children by phone, e-mail or snail mail. My mother lived until she was almost 106 although I don't expect I will reach such an age. She always had her sense of humor even the last week before her death and her mind was alert still.

I line dance generally twice a week, having done so since 1994 when I moved from Seattle to Oregon. I go to church most Sundays and live in a community where we have social events and this year I am on the Social Committee so keep busy at that in between other things.

Also. I have a daughter and grandaughter close and see them often and look forward to the summer when I can drive to my other daughter's between here and Seattle and on to the Seattle area to see my grandchildren and four great grandchildren there. I truly enjoy life and living and am thankful I am around each day I arise.

I enjoy reading comments from others and would e-mail if interested.

email address: Larramme@msn.com

I was brought up in a catholic family. My mother went to mass every day of her life but my father was sort of on and off. After growing up in the sixties and especially after leaving home, the church played no role in my life at all. I guess I was essentially an agnostic. After my mother died, my father became more and more withdrawn and seemed depressed most of the time. He had retired and all he had to do was think about his past and wait his turn to die. My sister and I worried about him a lot. We talked a lot about how to help him. Then one day my sister suggested that we try to get our father to start going to church again. The only way we could do that was for one of us to pick him up on Sunday mornings and take him to mass ourselves.. Well, that ended up with a double effect. Our father's life wasn't the only one that was changed. Ours was, too. But the most dramatic effect was on our dad. He began to find a kind of purpose in his life again. In some way, he has found something to make him smile again. I don't know what it is, but I guess serenity is probably the best word to describe him. Having seen his defeatism, his sadness, and his depression after mom died, his change is nothing short of amazing. I hope now that as I grow older, I'll begin to see what he sees. My sister is as happy about this change as I am, and I hope others can find what my dad has found. I hope I can too, and I hope this can help somebody else whose parents are aging and affecting the whole family.