THANKFUL

I am thankful for my old age. A lot of good things have happened since I became an octogenarian. Our small family all live in the same area, so we get together for holidays and special occasions. Instead of our usual festive meal there have been two memorable events.

To observe Christmas 2016, we all spent several days at Walt Disney World in Florida. Our granddaughter, Katelyn, was working there and couldn’t come home for the holiday so she arranged for the six of us to join her.

In the spring of 2019, nine of us celebrated our daughter Lisa’s birthday with an afternoon of zip-lining at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In case you’re wondering, zip-lining is done from a sitting position hanging from a small pulley and quickly sliding down a thick wire attached between two points, one higher than the other. We each did that in eight different spots and topped off the day with supper at a nearby restaurant.

It’s been gratifying to be part of Katelyn’s and Jacob’s lives as they grew from grandchildren to grandadults and took their place in the world.

After fifty years of writing newspaper and magazine articles as a freelance journalist, I’m a published author. Adelaide Books, an independent New York firm, offered me a contract for my memoir, “The View from a Midwest Ferris Wheel,” about our seven-year courtship in the 1950s. The royalties won’t make me rich, but hearing from people who have enjoyed reading it is priceless.

As a woman who grew up using a party-line telephone and a typewriter, our son, Kurt, solves my problems with a smart phone and a computer. Nearly three years ago, he helped me start this Wednesday blog, lolita-s-bigtoe.com. It’s aimed at older women, but I have men readers, too.

I’m also thankful that my problems haven’t been worse. Three years ago, an MRI revealed that I had suffered a small stroke. My ability to perceive sound was affected and forced me to get hearing aids.

Every morning, when Ken and I sit down to breakfast after a restful night’s sleep, we realize how blessed we are to be starting a new day together.

What are you thankful for?