By Susanna P. Barton   Make no bones about it, pets make us happier, healthier humans – throughout life and especially during our second half.  A recent report from the American Psychiatric Association shows 86% of participants believe pets have a mostly positive impact on their mental health.  A 2019…

By Renee Langmuir   Recently, I attended the 50th Anniversary of my beloved ballet school, The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. The event was marked with performances of alumni who have gone on to professional dance companies and speeches from key players in the school’s history.   The first speech, by…

By Nancy Peckenham   Back in the winter of 2018, I had a revelation. I was spending long days with my 100-year-old mother at her assisted living residence and witnessed how many residents in their 80s and 90s led multi-faceted, upbeat lives. Tired stereotypes of older people fell away before…

By Kathleen M. Rehl, Ph.D., CFP®, CeFT® Emeritus    My late husband died in my arms two months after his cancer diagnosis, whispering the word “love” on his lips and locking eyes with me. Mom passed a month later, as my brother and I held her hands. And I was…

By Alice Herb   America, from its inception, has always been seen as the land of opportunity. Whether as a land to escape to from their native lands, or as a place to defeat poverty, oppression, and discrimination, America has always been the destination. The incoming refugees and immigrants from…

By Susanna P. Barton   One of the biggest hazards confronting older adults in their second half is drowning in self-focus and self-stuff – getting weighted down by our own egos and the life collections, impractical furnishings, and useless objects neither we nor our loved ones need, want, or cherish….