"The rhythms of old age might be slower than that of youth, but it can reveal a new kind of beauty, one refined by experience. . . . Old age can be a time of larger love and compassion, of attitudes of good will and thoughtfulness towards others," writes counselor and spiritual director Kathleen Fischer in this thoughtful journey through the winter terrain of the last stages of life. The author offers an antidote to popular culture's stereotypical ideas about elders.
Fischer celebrates a sense of human possibility in the midst of limitations in her commentary on memory, the importance of friendship, and sexuality after 60. The best chapter is on the anxiety long-lived individuals have about being dependent on others. Fischer presents the ideal of interdependence within the Christian community. Here "receiving as a way of living" is honored. Another excellent model is that of Helen Keller who proved that dependence on another doesn't have to mean a loss of personal autonomy.
Throughout the book the author includes vignettes and illustrative material from May Sarton, Tillie Olson, Dorothy Day, Maggie Kuhn, Archibald MacLeish and others. This is a must-have volume for church libraries and resource centers.