Joyful Passage

Book excerpt: You may retire at the lakeside, but retirement is a vast ocean. Joyful Passage: A Woman's Path to Retirement is not a book about financial security, it is about investing in personal growth. It tells the true story of one woman's approach to the retirement threshold, her struggles with the decision, identity questions, loss of status, the changes in family dynamics and friendships; and how she found unexpected joys and riches in retirement. "Whoever said retirement is a full-time job was spot-on. Joan B. Reid's debut book, Joyful Passage: A Woman's Path to Retirement, discusses her journey from her first thoughts about the warp and weave of leaving her job to part time work, and, finally, to full departure. She encounters good times and humbling events at each stage. Hers is not a roadmap, but rather an unveiling of competencies as her adventure unfolds. Joyful Passage makes a fine gift for retirees and for those somewhere along the retirement road. " Nancy Hartney, author of If You Walk Long Enough, a coming home from Vietnam novel, and two collections of short stories, If the Creek Don't Rise and Washed in the Water. "Reading Joyful Passage is like talking to a friend. It encourages you to go forward, inspires you to create positive changes, and empowers to never give up." Joan Y. Edwards, M.A., B.S., Retired Elementary School Teacher, author of Flip Flap Floodle and Joan's Elder Care Guide.