Waiting List By Kathleen M. Rehl

By Kathleen M. Rehl, Ph.D., CFP®, CeFT® Emeritus

Waiting List

Anticipating what’s yet to be
My husband and I searched with hopeful hearts
For a place that meets our growing needs
As aging plays its part.

We’ll want increasing levels of care
From none to assisted and more
A CCRC is where we hope to reside
For what the future has in store.

A friend says “Never mind, you’re so young.”
But planning ahead is wise
We’ve read, looked, and thought long and hard
About where we’ll reside for the rest of our lives.

On their waiting list we’ll stay
With eagerness and grace
For a new chapter to begin
With joy and fun to embrace.

Later we’ll write our full story
For Age Buzz to impart
Our journey to find the right fit
For this new life phase to start.

We look forward to what’s to come
And the memories we’ll create
In a CCRC that fits our needs
Learning, friendships, wellness, activities first-rate.

Who knows, we might even find
A new passion to pursue
As CCRC experts, we’ll be inclined
To share our knowledge anew.

After three years when we expect to move in
We’ll embrace our new life with open hearts and grins
Showing our loved ones it’s the right choice for us
And living each day to the fullest with gusto and trust.

Kathleen M. Rehl, Ph.D., CFP^®, authored the award-winning book, Moving Forward on Your Own: A Financial Guidebook for Widows. She owned Rehl Financial Advisors before retiring to an active encore career, empowering widows with her speaking, writing, and research. Now happily “reFired,” Rehl pens legacy stories and poems, plus assists nonprofits to grow their endowments. As a zesty Boomer practicing positive aging, she gratefully continues to create and contribute . . . happily using her skills and experiences to encourage others to live their best lives, too. For more about Kathleen, see her website, www.KathleenRehl.com. She can be reached at [email protected].