| Reflections |
|
|
|
A Day to Remember
Author: Ruth Coe Chambers
The following article first appeared in Water's Edge magazine. The illustrator is Alan Phillips
Welcoming C.J. was an easy thing to do. This nice looking man, brought to meet us by our daughter Melissa, put us at ease with his quick smile and friendly demeanor.
|
|
 |
|
It's Always Something!!
Author: Karen DeBord
I was having a bad week. While trying to move my daughter into her apartment, we dropped a washing machine on my toe. The toenail eventually turned blue and fell off. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. Only weeks earlier, I had decided I would try to get a handle on some of the obsessive-compulsive conditions that have plagued me for my entire life (at least since about 7th grade).
|
|
 |
|
The Class of '58
Author: Lita Poehlman
When we are together, we are like family. With the exception of a frightening image in a mirror here and there, it’s as if time stood still. The weekend of September 26-28, 2008 will be a memorable one as we celebrate our 50th class reunion, reminisce over the past and honor those who couldn’t be with us.
|
|
 |
|
Ode to the Horizontal Happiness of Hammocks
Author: Marilyn Bagel
Something happens to us when we get into a hammock. I’d like to think that hammocks were invented to get us off our feet and temporarily stop the world with their mesmerizing, gentle, back-and-forth motion.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Times of Our Lives
Author: Lita Poehlman
Back in 2000, most of my classmates turned 60 and we decided to have a “Birthday Bash.” Since this was not an actual class reunion, we decided to hold the event in Orlando, FL, rather than the Hollywood area where we went to school.
|
|
 |
|
Writer's Block
Author: Eddie Reece, MS, LPC
I’m very excited about the opportunity to write for FiftyAndFurthermore. I have a lot to say, though right now, I can’t think of anything. Such is my struggle with writing. I have countless moments while talking or thinking about something and realize it’d be a great idea for a column.
|
|
 |
|
Am I Missing Something?
Author: Roscoe Dellums
For some reason one day, it was put out in the Universe as a truism that “60 is the new 40.” And, for some reason this has remained unchallenged. Just look at all the folks who quote and applaud, in my opinion, this questionably unscientific and illogical theory as fact. So as someone who has been at one time both 40 and 60, I decided to test this theory using nothing more than myself as an example.
|
|
 |
|
Why Can't They All Just Get Along?
Author: Eddie Reece, MS, LPC
When my mom was mad about something I was doing or not doing she’d yell, telling me to behave. Behave. There’s an interesting word. What is a “have” anyway and how could I be one? Every time I get mad, it’s for the same reason. There is something or someone not behaving the way I want.
|
|
 |
|
Fifty and Furthermore
Author: Jim Bohannon
I have always felt that baby boomers, like fresh fruit, may not age so well, and to contribute to all the angst I can muster, consider these facts about “Fifty and Furthermores”...
|
|
 |
|
Six Months Left
Author: Judy Robertson
What would you do if you only had six months to live?
|
|
|
|
 |
|
New Year, New You: Going Silver in 2008
Author: Dorree Lynn, PhD
A few months back, TIME Magazine printed an article titled The War Over Going Gray which basically contained the same "aging gracefully" babble that always makes me feel so frustrated. In fact, this particular article actually prompted me to take the time to write a letter to the editor with my thoughts on the article.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Picking Daisies
Author: Margaret Gregory
Gee --- let me remember! One cold day in Blacksburg, VA, my telephone rang.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Beginning Life Anew at 65
Author: Roscoe Dellums
Last December over 100 family and friends gathered for a weekend in Las Vegas to cheer me on to the finish line of my upcoming 65th birthday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Mother's Day Reflection
Author: Jack Levine
Traditionally a day when we honor our mothers - in person, by phone, with a card or flowers, over a meal, or, as for me, in memory - Mother's Day also provides us an opportunity for reflection.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Private Matters
Author: Rebecca Martorella
Last week, an anonymous letter ran in the Letters to the Editor section of another paper for which I write. It was from a breast cancer survivor who asked that we respect the privacy of cancer sufferers and survivors who may not wish to share their situation with the "public," and I thought this was an important issue to address further.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
If You Know What You Don't Know, Go To College
Author: Joseph Neumayer
Was I so clueless in my late teens, early twenties, that I didn't know what a "staple" was? Admittedly I was from Woodside, Queens, had been cocooned in a German immigrant home, but…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15 New Years Resolutions for 2007
Author: Jack Levine
As we contemplate the New Year, it's timely to reflect on who we are and where we hope to go in the 12-months ahead. For many of us, 2006 was a year of tremendous challenges, changes and awesome responsibilities. As an optimist, I believe that the year ahead will open new doors and present valuable opportunities for all of us.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Cancer and Two Hole In Ones
Author: Eddie Reece, MS, LPC
I waited until I’d found just the right woman. I married Annie on September 22, 2001, in the shadows of nine eleven. We saw our wedding as a statement of hope in the face of what was almost unthinkable. I was 46 years old, a hold out, wanting a romantic relationship as close to perfect as possible. I found what I was looking for.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roscoe Delllums Looking Back: Finally Defining Our Beauty - Part 3/3
Author: Roscoe Dellums
The 80's were the years of big hair, not because of movies, but because of records and MTV. Fans of popular music wanted to see the faces behind the sound. There were the rock bands, there was Cher and Dolly Parton, but the trophy went to soul singer Diana Ross for her non-stop wild mane.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
July Fourth
Author: Dorree Lynn, PhD
July fourth is always a special all-American holiday. It's a mélange of national activities: parades, beer, hot dogs and hamburgers, family and fireworks. It's concerts on malls and pyrotechnics in the sky. Neighbors who may not have seen each other for long stretches of time often join together for meals ranging from pot lucks and BBQs to catered affairs...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Looking Back on Black History Month
Author: Roscoe Dellums
Okay, it's after 8PM on Tuesday February 28th which means I have less than four (4) hours to celebrate Black History Month. And just like Madi Gras, the party is over until next year. I would be under less pressure if the contributions that African Americans have made to this country could be celebrated all year long.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Happy Valentine's Day, Keter
Author: Roscoe Dellums
I thought that by this Valentines day I would be a newlywed, but tomorrow is not promised and my love, Keter Betts, died unexpectedly last August before we married. Two years ago in a competition launched by Oprah to locate the most romantic man on the planet I submitted this letter, excerpts of which I want to share with all you romantics out there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I Have a Dream"
Author: Jack Levine
It was late August, 1963. I was 12. I remember my father calling me into his room. The radio was on, and I heard cheering. It was not a baseball game kind of cheer.....it seemed louder and longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
With Will to Choose or Regret
Author: Allyn Evans
So, what is this concept called purpose? Finding purpose means finding something bigger than yourself. There’s more to it than that, though. Quite possibly feeling pushed towards something bigger, you must find what brings you a sense of fulfillment—feelings like peace and joy. Notwithstanding, you must reach this place while also living comfortably in the present.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
In Search of Santa
Author: Susan Brandenburg
Tis the season again. Its been over five decades since I last sat on Santas lap. I miss that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Come Early, Stay Late
Author: Barbara Becker Holstein, Ed.D
Most of us have very special feelings and thoughts around Thanksgiving time. Perhaps we are a little less pitched emotionally and physically tired than when Christmas, Chanakah and New Year's roll along. Yet at the same time, there is an expectation of family and connection and feeling at home with others and ourselves that I believe most of us find surfacing one more time. Here is what my mother, Bernice Becker wrote about Thanksgiving a few years ago, in her story Miniam's House, which appea
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ruminations on Death
Author: Dorree Lynn, PhD
Death comes at any age. This week I have sat with two friends who have lost someone near and dear to them. Marc is a young man of 26. He lost his best friend Kevin, also 26, to Terry Fox disease, a virulent cancer that often visits young, athletic and otherwise healthy individuals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Tribute to Keter Betts
Author: Roscoe Dellums
First, before I begin, will you kindly turn to the person on your right and say what Keter would have said - “Hello Love.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grandma Minnie
Author: Jack Levine
My Grandma Minnie always liked to get people talking. As long as she was in a conversation, she was happy. You might think she was just plain nosy, but I believe there’s a better explanation. Minnie just wanted to know what was going on, and hearing news from people she knew made it more interesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Born on the 5th of July
Author: Roscoe Dellums
My mother was born on the fifth of July without the Yankee Doodle Dandy pageantry and big-bang associated with the day before, even though in my estimation she was quite a firecracker. In summing up her rather short life and its impact on me, I’ve concluded that she was not only an unforgettable spirit, but a priceless one-of-a-kind mother-model. For those of you who did not have the pleasure of knowing her, it was sadly your loss.
My mother’s name was Esther. She was named after her mother, E
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Happy Birthday Stevie Wonder
Author: Roscoe Dellums
It’s true. Stevie Wonder’s birthday is in May. So here’s a belated birthday greeting, Stevie - belated but still heartfelt. I just hung up talking with a friend I playfully call ‘Jonzee’ (his last name is Jones).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Rememberance of a True Teacher
Author: Roscoe Dellums
Ironically, here I am being called upon to write my remembrance of Miss Acty at a time when I seem to be having periodic lapses of memory, referred to so fondly at my age as a "Senior Moment." Where has all the time gone?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Celebrating Sixty Years
Author: Dorree Lynn, PhD
One of my fondest memories from the past few years concerns a sixtieth wedding anniversary – albeit not my own. Back in the spring of 2000, I had the pleasure of spending three days at Millie and Irv’s planned “summer camp” anniversary celebration held in the rural mountains of North Carolina.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Death of a Child
Author: Dorree Lynn, PhD
There may be nothing in life as devastating as the death of a child. Elders are supposed to pass on before their young. After all, that is nature's law. Yet “death hath no dominion.” And life is not always fair.
|
|
Fifty and Furthermore |
Dr. Dorree Lynn | All Rights Reserved.