Still Praying After All These Years

Book excerpt: People in the later years of life face many changes, many that are not of their own choosing. Still Praying After All These Years offers 52 reassuring meditations that encourage readers to realize that their lives still have meaning and that aging holds opportunities for spiritual growth. Each meditation begins with a concern, question, or insight expressed in the author's conversations with people ages 75-100. In the Perspectives section, the author provides psychological and theological insights, welcoming doubt, mystery, and the many emotions that accompany aging. Next, she invites readers to practice their faith by reflecting on some aspect of their life or undertaking an action. A brief prayer ends each meditation, opening readers to a deeper relationship with God. This book will help older readers feel heartened and less alone as they hear about others who have walked a similar path. Readers who are caregivers will be moved to empathize with the spiritual, emotional, and other challenges their loved one faces. For readers who minister with the elderly, this resource will increase their capacity to extend empathy and compassion to individuals and groups of frail elderly people. As they ponder these meditations, readers of any age will be encouraged to savor the life God has given them in a fresh, new way.