September Boomer Women\’s World
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Boomer Women\’s World Newsletter
September 2006
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Dear Dotsie,
NABBW has members from 40 states – plus
Canada, New Zealand, and England!
Humility is rare because
to have it you have to want nothing, yet when you
have it you get everything. — Brahma Kumaris
There’s a saying that the only thing that’s constant
is change. Boy am I ever living that saying to the
hilt. With a growing association and Web sites, three
kids in college, the Empty Nest, and caring for an
elderly family member, I’m experiencing change daily.
May I also mention I am the peanut butter and jelly
smashed to smithereens in this Sandwich Generation?
How about you? What’s happening in your life? Please
tell me I’m not the only one going through changes.
Oh, did I mention perimenopausal changes, and my
recent torn meniscus and ACL? Rock on boomer
women!
By the grace of God, I have this very tuned-in group
of associates who write for me. It should be no
surprise that every one of the articles written for this
issue left me laughing, crying, or wondering if these
women were living in my home, watching my every
move. I could relate to every single last one of these
articles. I hope you don’t mind but I am going to list
them and tell you why. Perhaps it will help us
connect on another level. Hang in here. It’s quite a
list. Be sure to scroll through the newsletter and read
each column for your pleasure. Here are my
thoughts:
Preventing Elder Abuse, by Barbara
Friesner
Just this morning I was
trekking through Retirement communities for a loved
one.
Menopause and Joint Pain, by Cathy
Taylor
Maybe that’s what I can blame
it on.
Entrepreneurial Tech Talk, by Jennifer
Kalita
I launched two brand spanking
new data bases in the last two
weeks.
Preparing Your Home for Fall, by Regina
Leeds
Oh how I’m dying to do this.
Help Regina!
To Everything a Season, by Prill Boyle
I am perplexed about how to
care for my aging family members. Is bringing them
here a short term option?
Twenty Tips for Dreading the Empty Nest, by
Natalie
Caine
Our last two left the nest this
month.
Time for Not Being Selfish, by Patricia Lambert,
ESQ
I can’t get too caught up with
myself. I never want to be the person described in
this article.
Check Your Thoughts, by Nan Russell
Due to my recent overload, my
thoughts haven’t been as positive.
Dirty Little Reminders, by Julie Clark Robinson
“I’m just too involved with my family.”
Julie’s words made me laugh at
myself. She reminded me that caring for my family is
a privilege.
Lost and Found – Myself, by Georgia
Richardson
Oh what I’d give to have a
friend like Georgia\’s.
Are You a Consistent and Caring Christian? by
Donna
Shepherd
The day I read this, I had sat
in front of our Special Ed class in church. Every now
and then one of the students would loudly say “God”
or “Jesus.” I guess they think those are the best
answers for anything. Perhaps we need to give
people like Donna’s friend and our Special Ed class
more credit.
Dying a Fabulous Death – Is That Possible? by
Judith
Sherven
This was a lovely reminder that
a full life can lead to a fabulous death if you have
the right spirit.
Menopause: Alone and Together or Every Woman
for
Herself (NOT!) by Karen Baar
I just spoke at a women’s
retreat this past weekend about two of our best
assets: Girlfriends and God.
The Top Five Reasons Menopausal Women Have
Trouble Losing Weight, by Mary Pearsall
Need I say anything?
Preventing Brain Drain, by Dr. Robin Miller
Since dealing with dementia in
a loved one, I am most grateful for these reminders
to keep my brain active.
Midlife for Women: A Play in Three Acts, By Karen
Stephen, Ph.D.
Ah yes, I must set
boundaries.
Cruise Through Retirement – Literally! By Jan
Cullinane
This made me laugh. I’ve never
been on a cruise and have no intentions of ever
stepping foot on one. But if you love cruising, you
must read this article!
Following in the Footsteps of Jane (Austen, that
is),
by Carol Sorgen
Walking, shopping, bread?
Take me there.
My prayer is that you use the information in this
newsletter to feel connected, encouraged,
supported, educated, and empowered at midlife. I
know I do.
Boomer Women’s World is adding advertising
opportunities to our newsletter. Please contact us if
you are interested in seeing your ad in this
newsletter. We have also added a Boomer Review
section where we will continue to review books,
products and services for the NABBW members.
I hope you will grab a cold drink, sit back, and enjoy
reading this issue that contains all topics of interest
to Baby Boomer Women.
Onward with grace,
Dotsie
dots@nabbw.com
1-877-bboomer
Join NABBW and receive an extra
book for free! Sign up here today and receive a
FREE copy of the
Baby Boomer’S
ALMANAC, by Tim Brolus.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS FOR
SEPTEMBER:
I continue to witness women encouraging women in
our Virtual Village every day at http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com
/forums/
ubbthreads.php. Won’t you join us? The sixty-
plus forums connect, encourage and support baby
boomer women at all stages of life!
REFER A FRIEND for NABBW MEMBERSHIP
and receive
a FREE copy of the BABY BOOMER’S
ALMANAC, by Tim Brolus.
********
ADDED BENEFITS
We have created a user-friendly version of
member benefits on the Members Only page at www.nabbw.com.
Check it out. Email me at
dots@boomerwomenspeak.com if you\’ve
forgotten your
password.
********
It’s All About me*
New Magazine Launched
to
Entertain and Empower Baby
Boomer Women
Orlando, FL – The voice of the baby boomer
generation just got louder with the national launch of
me* (*My Entertainment, *My Empowerment)
Magazine for the woman 40+.
Jeanie Linders, publisher of me* Magazine and
writer/producer of the international theatrical hit
Menopause The Musical® launched the first issue
September 1, 2006.
“Like our show, the magazine brings to the forefront
issues that affect nearly 40 million baby boomer
women throughout the United States alone.”
The title of the magazine, me* (*My Entertainment,
*My Empowerment), references the fact that the
magazine will include topical articles, interviews and
a source bank that fulfills the mission of the
publication – to entertain and empower.
Our magazine is designed to give permission to this
generation to embrace the concept of ‘it’s all about
me* – to listen to the inner voice that is now
speaking louder than all of the others and celebrate
this stage of life.”
I\’m excited to meet with
their team while visiting Florida this month. For more
information, please visit www.memagazine4u.com.
********
ARTICLES ACCEPTED FROM
MEMBERS
We currently accept ONE article a month from our
members for inclusion at www.nabbw.com. These
articles will be added to our site, but will not
be included in our newsletters. Newsletter articles
will continue to be written by NABBW Associates
only. This is an added benefit that we chose to
consider due to the number of requests we’ve had
from our members. Please read the guidelines below
and be certain to follow them.
• All articles should be submitted as WORD
attachments with1 line spacing and must include a
TITLE. Do not put the article in the body of
the email.
• The subject line of the email should contain
NABBW Article Submission. Articles that do not
include this will not be accepted.
• Please include your complete name, or pen
name, a 2-3 sentence bio, a web address, if any,
and email. Your email address will not be visible
unless you request it to be shown. Please do not
send pictures or banners.
• Word count is limited to 1000 words.
• All articles should be educational.
• All subject matter or topics should be in
tune with the boomer women issues of today.
Absolutely NO profanity, racial slurs, degrading, or
politically-based work will be accepted.
• Book excerpts are not acceptable.
• ONE article per month may be submitted.
• Notification of acceptance will be sent
within one month if
your article has been chosen.
• We WILL NOT provide editing for your work.
Please send your best and final edit only. Articles
that need editing will not be published.
• Writers retain all rights to their work and
can submit simultaneously to other sources.
• Send all articles to:
dots@boomerwomenspeak.com
Please resubmit if you have sent articles in the
past.
********
Want to send flowers to a friend, or popcorn to a
family or
business? NABBW is now offering member discounts
at www.1800flowers.com and www.thepopcornfactory.com
FEATURED ASSOCIATE
Jennifer Kalita
www.thekalitagroup.com.
Jennifer is a
nationally recognized writer, speaker and consultant
in the entrepreneurship, baby boomer and women in
business arenas, which render her particularly
valuable to the boomer women entrepreneurs at
NABBW. Jennifer’s web site (www.thekalitagroup.com) is
packed with
resources for entrepreneurs, not the least of which is
an up-to-the-minute free e-zine resource called Self-
Made Minutes(trademark). Visit her company’s
women-specific
division at www.strategicwomen.com, and
look for the
launch of a 50+-specific division, 50+Fusion, at www.50plusfusion.com in late
October.
You’ll find Jennifer’s weekly PR column, Creating
Boomer Buzz with Jennifer Kalita, at www.second50years.com/public/depa
rtm
ent58.cfm, and you can
also review the monthly marketing articles she
contributes to that community on its web site.
Jennifer has shared her consulting and Coaching
services with numerous boomer women transitioning
to self-employment, and has reached countless
others through her interviews with various national
media. Look for her in October’s issue of Working
Mother magazine, and don’t miss her recent book
release, Inspirations to Realizations, Volume III, and
new e-book, Maximizing Opportunities: Leadership
Skills for Non-Profit Survival (both available at www.thekalitagroup.com/books.html).
If you’re considering starting an entrepreneurial
adventure, or you need to jump-start an existing
business, and you missed her recent NABBW
teleseminar entitled The Entrepreneurial Boomer
Woman: How to Start & Stay in Business, you may
listen to it through the Members Only page at www.nabbw.com. Then take
her up on her NABBW members-only offer for a
complimentary entrepreneurial evaluation to help you
look at your businesses from all angles, assess
untapped growth opportunities, and clear any other
business launch/growth hurdles.
FEATURED
MEMBER
Robin
Westmiller
http://www.ravenwest.net
RAVEN WEST is the pen name of Robin
Cohen Westmiller, writer, author and columnist
who decided to become a journalist when she
discovered that showing a “Press Pass” gave her
access to areas and people that others never got to
see.
Combining her writing skills and radio industry
background she created the novel Red Wine For
Breakfast set in the volatile world of a Los
Angeles radio station. Her second novel First
Class Male is the story of a small town
postmaster who secretly edits the manuscript of a
NY City District Attorney and becomes the target of
blackmail, jealousy and revenge.
A “mid-life crises” in 2003 led her to enter the
Southern California Institute of Law, a decision,
which later turned out to be fortuitous in her fight to
rescue her father from the clutches of a Florida court
appointed guardian. Once again, combining her real
life experience with the power of the written word,
she penned her memoir “Blood Tastes Lousy With
Scotch,” published by
http://starpublish.com/robin_cohen_westmiller.htm
Robin is the President and founder of the National
Association to Stop Guardian Abuse,
http://www.stopguardianabuse.org, a member
of the Author’s Guild, Ventura County Bar
Association, and National Academy of Elder Law
Attorneys.
Blood Tastes Lousy With Scotch,
by Robin C. Westmiller, J.D.
Reviewed by Dotsie Bregel
I’ve known Robin as an internet friend and NABBW
member during her escapades with her elderly
parents. She’s posted in the forums at www.boomerwomenspeak.com
and shared tidbits about what she was going through
with her family. She is the person I called when NBC
Nightly News was looking for a woman who was
smack dab in the middle of the sandwich. It was no
surprise to see her and her family on the national
news the following night sharing their story.
To say I was shocked when I read her book about
the nitty gritty of what her father and mother were
exposed to in their nightmare story of guardian
abuse/elder abuse in this country is putting it mildly.
Robin jetted back and forth to visit her parents,
spent hours on the phone, countless hours doing
research, and shed too many tears over the abuse
and run around she was getting from people who
were supposed to be caring for her parents – not to
mention the money wasted!
Honestly, had she not included every document in
the second half of the book, I would have thought
she was exaggerating. Please, if you are frustrated
with guardian abuse, elder care, or the lack thereof,
please do yourself a favor and read her book. It’s
also a good idea to read before walking the road of
caring for your aging parent or loved one. I
recommend contacting her through her newly
launched association that helps those experiencing
guardian abuse. Ladies, we must get a better grip on
this situation. I applaud Robin for tackling this
monster. Visit her at
http://www.stopguardianabuse.org
FEATURED
GUEST AUTHOR OF THE MONTH ON BOOMER WOMEN
SPEAK
Pamela D. Blair,
Ph.D.
Author, Psychotherapist,
Spiritual Counselor, Life Coach
www.pamblair.com
Boomer Women Speak forums is proud to have as our
guest Author of the Month, Dr. Pamela D. Blair,
Ph.D., as she discusses her life before and after a
life-threatening accident. The resulting book, The
Next Fifty Years. gives the intimate details of her
journey back to life, and will provde to women
everywhere that you are not alone, and she will
encourage you with words of wisdom to re-envision
your life for your own mid-life journey. Won\’t you join
us at www.boomerwomenspeak.com.
BOOMER WOMEN SPEAK
SEPTEMBER WRITING CONTEST
Enter our September Writing Contest and win great
prizes!
Deadline: September 30, 2006
Entry Fee: none, but great prizes including
$50.00
cash.
Your best friend in the whole
wide world, the one who has always been there for
you, the one who would lay down her credit card for
you, has just approached you with her new
boyfriend. You know he is a jerk because the minute
she excuses herself to go powder her nose, he hits
on you. You do what? Tell her? Keep it to
yourself? Put an ad in the paper? Threaten him? Tell
us what you would do out of love for the friendship.
For complete contest guidelines visit us at
www.boomerwomenspeak.com
NABBW AUGUST
TELESEMINAR
Dr. Karen Stephen
www.doctorflamingo-
online.com
Mental and Emotional
Health In Midlife Years
To hear Dr. Stephen’s teleseminar about Mental and
Emotional Health at Midlife Years visit the Members
Only page at www.nabbw.com. She was
informative and delightful. I would love to be a
member of her midlife women\’s group if I lived in her
town!
NABBW SEPTEMBER
TELESEMINAR
Barbara E. Friesner
www.AgeWiseLiving.com
Caring for Our Aging
Parents, ALL I’M TRYING TO DO IS HELP!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
7:00pm EST
Do you lie awake at night
worrying about what will happen if your aging
parents continue to drive, live alone, or don’t get
their legal or financial house in order?
Are you stressed and frustrated when your efforts to
help your parents turn into emotional explosions or
walls of silence?
If you answered yes to any of these, join Barbara
Friesner of www.AgeWiseLiving.com
as she reveals the top 3 causes of resistance
and conflict between Baby Boomer women and their
parents and shares the secrets that have allowed
hundreds of her Generational Coaching clients to
successfully overcome their critical Eldercare issues.
Barbara is considered one of the country’s leading
Generational Coach & Expert on Issues
Affecting Seniors and Their Families.
To learn how Generational Coaching can help you
resolve your eldercare issues by Choice, Not Crisis
please visit www.AgeWiseLiving.com
and join us for this insightful
teleseminar!
BOOMER REVIEWS
We are happy to review member’s books, products
and services. This is a service that is FREE of
CHARGE to NABBW members. Please email us if you
are interested in seeing a review of your book,
product, or service. NOTE: Once
your book has been submitted, please allow ample
time for the book to be read, and reviewed. Books
and products sent for reviews will not be
returned.
********
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their
Personal Stories
Minding Our Elders
by Carol Bradley Bursack
Review by Dotsie Bregel,
Carol has managed to offer support by sharing stories
of those who are caring for the Greatest Generation.
As many Baby Boomers continue to watch our
parents, their friends, and treasured aunts and
uncles decline, they will find comfort in the words of
all the caregiving stories compiled in Minding Our
Elders. This is a nice book to breeze through if you
are in that caretaking role. You are sure to relate to
one that has walked a similar path and can share
some insight into exactly what you are going
through. It’s refreshing to be reminded that there is
life after caregiving because when doing it day in and
day out, we tend to forget.
********
Calming the Chaos of Aging, Facing Lifestyle
Challenges
Calming the Chaos
By Phyllis Slater
Review by Georgia Richardson,Queen Jaw
Jaw
With 75 million baby Boomers reaching
middle age and beyond, it’s no wonder more people
are searching for resources and guidelines to help
them cope with lifestyle challenges and changes.
Phyllis Slater’s book, Calming the Chaos of Aging,
Facing Lifestyle Challenges, can certainly fill a great
many of these needs; especially, but not limited to,
the baby boomer with disabilities.
Three years after leaving the corporate world and
starting a business to help seniors downsize their
homes, Ms Slater was diagnosed with Retinitis
Pigmentosa. She was left legally blind. Taking
proactive steps, she began to explore new ways to
live each day and this journey of self-discovery led
to the publication of Calming the Chaos of Aging,
Facing Lifestyle Challenges.
Fitting her lifestyle around the disease, she moved
into a smaller home which was more organized, and
met her health concerns which she already knew
would change over time. She soon realized how
valuable her own experience could be in helping
others with their challenging lifestyle issues.
Calming the Chaos not only informs the reader about
the choices available to them, (citing actual
organizations), it also provides guidelines, resources
(online and in print) and tips on things like travel,
home safety, planning a move, or selling your home.
It tells you how to organize, downsize, and
economize. There’s even a section on motivation.
This is a small book, only 120-pages; but it has a big
heart for the readers. It’s full of useful information
about products, services, professional organizations,
and support that can allow you to live independently
for years to come.
********
Everything a Baby Boomer Should Know –
before talking to an attorney
By Mark S. Cornwall
www.babyboomerpublishing
Reviewed by Georgia Richardson, Queen Jaw
Jaw
You’ve worked hard your entire life and
saved a portion of your earnings; life is good. Now
you’d like to plan how these savings, or
your “estate,” will be spent. Hiring a financial planner
for your desires is one thing, but what if you
suddenly died? Who would reap the benefits of your
life’s work? How do you make sure the government
isn’t the recipient instead of your spouse, children, or
maybe your favorite charity? You may be thinking
This subject is boring and depressing and besides,
I’ve got plenty of time.
What if you don’t? Think how depressing it would be
to the family you’ve left behind if most of your estate
was taken by taxes! This doesn’t have to
happen.
Everything a Baby Boomer Should Know, by Mark
Cornwall could be the answer to protecting your
family, and to give you peace of mind you deserve.
This book is a thorough guide that clarifies every
aspect of estate planning from A-Z. The
groundwork’s been done and the result is a guidebook
written in plain, every day English. This means
everyone reading this book has the opportunity to
grasp and comprehend, and be comfortable with the
process of estate planning BEFORE they visit a
lawyer. Mr. Cornwall really has taken the fear out of
estate planning.
To begin, all nomenclature associated with estate
planning is identified and described so you
immediately gain insight into the inner workings of
estate planning. This kind of consideration is
throughout the book as each new subject is
introduced helping you to relax and absorb as you
follow the guide.
The fundamentals of estate planning, large or small,
are explained thoroughly along with the different
kinds, the distribution methods, security measures to
considered, and flexibilities, as we all know the future
is ever changing. There are details, explanations and
numerous “what if’s,” in every chapter to aid in this
very important endeavor. Towards the end is a
helpful section on pitfalls and scams and what to
avoid.
A few examples of the information provided would be
the chapters on Guardians and Trustees; the pros
and cons; on “Blended Families” which undoubtedly
will be a valuable tool for some baby boomers since
60% of Americans are experiencing multiple marriages
and with some, instant families. Or maybe you want
to know what happens if you die without a Will in
place. It’s in there. What about “domestic” partners?
It’s there. Elder Laws? Covered. There’s even a
section on why you need a lawyer including
the “do’s” and “don’ts” of hiring an attorney. All from
an attorney.
The best way to take care of your family is to talk to
the experts before you plan the distribution of your
estate. Here it is. A guide written by not only an
expert, but a lawyer AND a baby boomer; Mark
Cornwall. Everything a Baby Boomer Should Know
answers all our questions and takes the guess work
out of estate planning. Would I recommend reading
and following Mr. Cornwall’s advice? I would. And I
recommend doing so now, because later—may never
come.
********
Galloping Words
By Meredith Laskow, Poet Laureate, Placentia Library
District, CA
www.meredithbead.com
Reviewed by Georgia Richardson, Queen Jaw
Jaw
I’m scared of poetry. It reveals too much. It can
touch my very core just when I’ve managed to be
alone with my own thoughts, mostly hidden, some
displayed. In Galloping Words, Poet Laureate
Meredith Laskow will not allow the reader to hide
behind forgotten emotions or past hurts. Not even
past joys! Her words speak of freedom, then
darkness; dreams, then isolation. I found myself in
nearly every page. On page 28 in Treasure, she
writes…
If we are the end product of our memories and
experiences,
And if some of these experiences have been so long
forgotten,
Does my life change now for rediscovering them?
As I told Ms Laskow after viewing her work, (I refuse
to call it a “review”) I would say to anyone
purchasing this book to stand back…admire it…read
it multiple times, as many as you wish but don\’t do
anything else. Don\’t review it, don\’t mutilate or harm
it in any way by placing useless words around it. Just
bask in it. That\’s what it\’s there for. For basking,
reading, reflecting. I stand by this declaration as I
place her book back on the shelf until the next time.
There could never be just once.
Such a Moving and powerful book at 40 pages, and
amazingly, with the original cover art by the poet
herself, at age 13. This book can be obtained directly
from the poet at $5.00, plus shipping and handling at
meredkl-2@yahoo.com
MEMBER COLUMNS
Preventing Elder Abuse
By Barbara E. Friesner
I’m sure many of you
have heard the tragic story of Brooke Astor, the
multimillionaire New York socialite who is alleged to
have been mistreated by her son, who controls her
$45 million portfolio. Obviously this case is making the
headlines because of her celebrity and its easy –
even comforting – to believe that this sort of abuse
only happens when there are vast sums of money
involved.
Unfortunately, the reality is that elder abuse occurs
in families of all races, backgrounds, nationalities and
income groups. Sadder still, contrary to the popular
belief that elder abusers are strangers, paid
caregivers, neighbors or even friends the
heartbreaking truth is that adult children and spouses
are the most common abusers.
Continue reading at this link:
http://www.nabbw.com/columns/barbarafriesner.html
Menopause and Joint Pain –
Treatment
By Cathy Taylor
Many women experience
menopausal joint pain symptoms. Medical experts are
pondering over the connection between hormonal
changes and pain. Some women experience joint and
muscle pain, mouth discomfort, headaches and some
even report heart palpitations. Interestingly, women
who suffer tension headaches, abdominal, or facial
pain found their symptoms lessened after
menopause. Scientists today feel there may indeed
be a link between estrogen, hormone levels and this
phenomenon.
Continue reading at this link: http://www.nabbw.com/columns/cathytaylor
.html
Entrepreneurial Tech Talk
By Jennifer Kalita
We women entrepreneurs
like our work. We’re great networkers and natural
relationship-builders. We welcome the opportunity to
pitch our services to a prospect. We send out one
heck of a newsletter. Our customer service is the
best in town. And, we’re forever reading articles and
attending seminars to educate ourselves about how
to run things more effectively and
efficiently.
But when it comes to conversations about “backing
up the system” and “customer management
software” our eyes glaze over and we begin to
wonder if reindeer really do know how to fly.
Continue reading at this link:
http://www.nabbw.com/columns/jenniferkalita.html
Preparing Your Home for
Fall
By Regina Leeds
The arrival of Labor Day
Weekend signals the inevitable start of the busiest
season of the year. It’s a challenge to handle our life
responsibilities in general. Now the kids go back to
school, we are either hosting Thanksgiving or making
travel arrangements to join family and friends and of
course there is the end of the year frenzy involving
gifts, travel and parties. An extra 5 pounds, anyone?
Continue reading at this link: http://www.nabbw.com/columns/reginaleeds
.html
To Everything a
Season
By Prill Boyle
Have you ever been
determined to head in one direction, only to have life
nudge you in another? That’s what happened to
June, a 54-year old dental receptionist whose
deepest desire is to become an ornithologist, a
scientist who studies birds. This September, she
was all set to take her first biology course. Now
she’s having to put her dream on hold. Again.
Continue reading at this link: http://www.nabbw.com/columns/
prillboyle.html
20 Tips for Parents
Dreading the Empty Nest
By Natalie Caine
The road you have
traveled for eighteen years as parents is turning a
corner, headed for a bridge.
What is the truth about what is on the other side of
the bridge? What changes do you have to address in
order to stay healthily connected in your new role
and your adult child’s role with you? Does this
change mean filling in free time or deeply discovering
parts of yourself you had to put in the trunk?
Continue reading at this link: http://www.nabbw.com/columns/nataliecain
e.html
Time for Not Being
Selfish
By Patricia McHugh Lambert
He had that look. That look that
he was busy, rich and important. I could tell from the
moment I walked into the plane that he thought he
should be flying alone and certainly not in coach. He
glared as each passenger walked down the aisle. We
mere mortals were apparently holding him up from
something important.
Continue reading at this link: http://www.nabbw.com/columns/
patlambert.html
Check Your
Thoughts
By Nan S. Russell
It was clear she was
having “one of those days.” But to be truthful, I
didn\’t care. I was too nervous about my surgery to
pay attention to Doris, the nurse grousing about how
overworked she was that Thursday. But by the time I
was wheeled back to my same-day surgical room,
she was even less hospitable and entrenched in
complaining.
Continue reading at this link: https://nabbw.com/columns/
nanrussell.html
“Dirty Little Reminders”
By Julie Clark Robinson
“One hundred years
from now, it will not matter what my bank account
was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I
drove. But the world may be a little better, because I
was important in the life of a child.”
–Forest Witcraft
I had been feeling something ugly brewing for days –
probably weeks – if I’m to be honest. And by ugly, I
don’t mean the brownish/grayish sunken circles under
my eyes, they’re a given at this point. (My beloved
Sephora catalog still waits for me in my reading pile.
Inside, my favorite, miracle worker concealer, awaits
my order.)
This particular kind of ugliness starts in the pit of
your stomach and ends up as a worried furrow on
your brow, exposing every forehead wrinkle you’ve
ever had. Finally, as I hurriedly pulled the not-so-
clean sheets over my bed and mentally went over all
the things I unrealistically hoped to accomplish that
day, the ugliness spewed out into a sentence that
alarmed me – and finally brought some clarity.
“I’m just too involved with my family.”
Continue reading at this link: http://www.nabbw.com/columns/
julierobinson.html
Lost and Found —
Myself
By Georgia Richardson
My idea of a
leisurely Sunday afternoon is my couch, a plate of
nachos, and Oreo’s while I watch yet another rerun
of Agatha Christie\’s, Poirot. Not so for my best
friend, Liz. Hers involve anything announcing to the
world we’ve reached mid-life. Like paying some guy
who dresses in nothing but a sheet and sandals
twenty-five bucks to teach us how to — get in
touch with our inner “baby boomer” selves, to find
that child within, to — whatever. For some reason
known only to my inner child, I agreed to go along
with her latest obsession of self-finding. I should
have known when I said, “Okay, okay, stop whining,
I’ll do it,” that it couldn’t or wouldn’t be that easy, or
that cheap. If it sounds too good to be true – well,
you know the rest.
Continue reading at this link: https://nabbw.com/columns/
georgiarichardson.html
Are You a Consistent
and Caring Christian?
By Donna Shepherd
“Always give yourselves
fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that
your labor in the Lord is not in vain. – I
Corinthians 15:58b NIV
One of the women who attended our church died
unexpectedly. Melinda was twenty-five years old,
but had suffered with terrible seizures from birth,
which affected her mental capacity. Just two days
before her death, she brought me a picture torn out
of a coloring book. She had filled the page with
scribbles of bright blue, red, and green crayon.
Continue reading at this link: https://nabbw.com/columns/
donnashepherd.html
“Dying A Fabulous
Death . . . Is That Possible?”
By Judith Sherven, Ph.D. & James Sniechowski,
Ph.D.
Think about the
reasons you’re glad to be alive.
Those everyday things that you may even take for
granted: being able to walk, talk, see, hear, cook,
garden, drive a car, dance at parties, eat a terrific
meal and laugh with friends.
And then think about what it would be like to start
losing most of those abilities.
Jim’s mother has lived nearly 91 years, and up until
the past year she has enjoyed almost all of the
abilities we just listed (though she never learned to
drive a car and her hearing and vision were starting
to diminish).
Up until a year ago Matka (Polish for mother) came
to visit us each year eager to get out, see Jim acting
in the local production of “Scrooge” and meeting our
friends over brunch in our dining room.
Up until a year ago Matka produced the annual
Christmas party for her Polish women’s group at her
church and ran Bingo every Monday night at the
same church.
Continue reading at this link: https://nabbw.com/columns/
judithsherven.html
Menopause: Alone and
Together, or Every Woman for Herself (Not!)
By Karen Baar
As I wrote in my
column last month, we all share one thing: no woman
escapes menopause. This rite of passage is
something that binds us together.
Yet, the opposite is also true: menopause is highly
individual. No two women go through it in the same
way. Lynette, who I interviewed for my book, was
stunned by her hot flashes. “I thought, I’m from the
tropics and I probably won’t even notice. But when I
was 47, I began waking up with my clothes soaking
wet. My body felt like it was burning up from inside.”
My friend Sarah, on the other hand, breezed right
through: “It’s been much easier than I thought it
would be,” she says.
Continue reading at this link: https://nabbw.com/columns/
karenbaar.html
The Top 5 Reasons
Menopausal Women Have Trouble Losing Weight
By Mary Pearsall
Remember
the good old days when taking off 5 or 10 pounds
merely meant eating less and exercising more? I had
the formula down pat – if I wanted to get into
my “skinny” jeans, I just stopped the double order of
onion rings and rode my bike a few extra miles.
Whoosh! Off it came.
Now that I am in those marvelous menopausal
years it just doesn’t work that way any more. I hear
the same lament from my clients and I am sure you
have experienced the same if you are a boomer
woman. I feel your pain. So, what is the problem
here and what do we do about it?
Continue reading at this link: https://nabbw.com/columns/
marypearsall.html
MIDLIFE FOR WOMEN – A
PLAY IN THREE ACTS
By Karen Stephen, Ph.D.
Although
you may escape the MALADIES, you rarely
escape the OVERFILLED PLATE. You find
your plate heaped high with a three-layer
GENERATION SANDWICH, plus two helpings
of EMPTY BIRD’S-NEST SOUP, and a side of
ROTTEN EGGS.
An example from my own life amply
demonstrates the dreaded GENERATION
SANDWICH. I learned first hand in May of 1999
why we are called the Sandwich Generation, caught
up in that three-layer concoction of caring for elderly
parents while we are still trying to launch our adult
children, and finding ourselves smashed by duty and
diligence at the filling in-between.
Continue reading at this link:
https://nabbw.com/columns/karenstephen.html
Preventing “Brain
Drain”
By Robin Miller, M.D., M.H.S.
Now that the
(supposedly) relaxed pace of summer has come to a
close, and everyone is getting geared up for
returning to classes, work, and volunteer activities,
we’ve reached the time of year when our brains are
at risk for system overload. You know what this
means – more stress on our already fragile memories.
And since memor
