A reader recently wrote to Spiritual Seniors about loneliness. She is 71 years old and has been married for 53 years. She raised a family, helped her husband with his businesses, worked part-time, and volunteered. Yet she finds herself in what she calls a lonely
“The best balm for the soul is friendship.” — Eddie Jaku Imagine losing your wallet. Not a hypothetical wallet. Your wallet. Driver’s license, credit cards, perhaps a little cash, and all the small things that accumulate over time. How likely do you think it is that a stranger
Everything changes. Wisdom begins when we stop being surprised by it. For nearly twenty years, the remains of a famous writer sat forgotten. Not in a cemetery. Not beneath a marble monument. Not scattered at sea. In a filing cabinet. After her death, Dorothy Parker's ashes were sent to her attorney's
A collection of reflections and resources on loneliness, social isolation, solitude, friendship, belonging, and human connection in later life. Loneliness in later life can arrive suddenly. A spouse dies. A marriage ends. Retirement removes the people and routines that once filled the week. A move leaves
“The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter one's loneliness.” — Norman Cousins Loneliness is not always the absence of people. Sometimes it shows up in the middle of everyday life. It can be felt in a room that has slowly grown quieter, in a
Spirituality and Loneliness in Later Life Recent studies have revealed a troubling trend: nearly half of adults today have fewer than three close friends in whom they can confide. That number has doubled since 1990. This is not a new concern for us. In earlier reflections on
The Retirement Trap When Social Security was introduced in 1935, it was described as a safeguard against what lawmakers called the “hazards and vicissitudes of life.” The language reflected the gravity of the moment. The country was emerging from economic collapse, and old age, for many,
The ancient Greeks had a word for a necessary descent: katabasis. The katabasis meaning is simple—a going down. In their stories, heroes did not always begin with triumph. Often the journey required entering darkness first, descending into uncertainty or loss before any wisdom could emerge. Many
A Thanksgiving Ritual of Memory and Belonging Thanksgiving has a way of reminding us what’s changed — not only who is missing from the table, but how different we all are from the last time we sat here together. At first glance, it’s all familiar: the scent
Rediscovering belonging after loss and change “Belonging is the opposite of loneliness." — Brené Brown We spend much of life trying to find where we fit — in families, friendships, work, or faith. For a long time, it comes easily enough. Then something shifts. The kids move