Life Management

Developing InterGenerational Communities

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 2 minutes, 3 seconds
There was a period during the last year of my mother's life when it felt like every time I called her, she was crying. Alarmed, I would ask, what's wrong? Mom would tearfully explain that another member of her Sunday school class had died and would share with me some poignant tidbit about the deceased. The last time we played out this scene, Mom broken-heartedly stated...
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Life Management

Surround Yourself With Positive People

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 1 minute, 26 seconds
This past Sunday I volunteered to be a "body marker" for the Ironman Lake Tahoe. I, along with about twenty other volunteers, greeted the athletes at the entrance to the Lake with a marking pen and smile.  As I listened to the words of the volunteers around me, I was touched by how this community was full of goodwill and encouragement. No one talked about how cold the water was or how early th...
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Life Management

Living The Ironman Life

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 2 minutes, 46 seconds
As I write to you today I am in Lake Tahoe sitting before a warm fire. Yesterday, my son ran his first Ironman and I was in Tahoe to support him and cheer him on as he crossed the finish line. Those of you, who follow this blog, know that this time last year, Matthew was hit by car while training for this very race. He had life threatening injuries that could have resulted in paralysis or death....
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Loving The Wild Life

First Encounter

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Loving The Wild Life | Read Time: 2 minutes, 48 seconds
In the middle of my daylilies was a singular blooming tulip. This import from Holland was silky pink and should have been cause for celebration. Spring had arrived with a burst of color that signaled the end of another brutally cold winter but the sight of this lone blooming flower confused me. I had planted a cluster of tulips in the front garden but not down by the Lake. How did a tulip end up th...
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Life Management

Raised Beds, Flowers And Renewal

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 2 minutes, 39 seconds
A year ago I'd planned to share with you my new garden project, raised herb beds. Unbeknownst to me my whole world would be turned on its ear when my son was hit by a car while training for the Ironman in Lake Tahoe. A year later Matthew has healed from his injuries and the herbs in my kitchen garden are cascading over the sides of the b...
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Life Management

What Is Community?

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 1 minute, 57 seconds
A couple of years ago I purchased a Jeep Wranglers. I've wanted a Jeep since before my kids were born but always felt I needed to have a responsible car. But after my mother died, I finally purchased my "dream" car. Unbeknownst to me with the purchase of my little red Jeep, I joined the Jeep "community"; a group that created a tradition of waving to one another as they pass each on opposite sides...
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Life Management

You Can Make A Difference

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 2 minutes, 33 seconds
I come from a background where it is ones civic duty to be well informed and educated on the “issues” of the day.  Growing up I would read the morning and afternoon newspaper as well as watch Walter Cronkite each evening on CBS.  As I got older I tuned into PBS to watch The MacNeil/Lehrer Report and expanded my reading list to include various magazines like Time and NewsWeek. Today I r...
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Life Management

How To Make The Transition

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 2 minutes, 25 seconds
The journey has been one of ups and downs since starting this blog. Footsteps was created as a tool to discuss living with and caring for aging parents. You were there at the beginning when I shared with you the challenge of "taking" the keys from Mom to my struggles with sadness after her death. Footsteps has helped me connect with kindred souls who were walking the same journey and I am grateful....
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Our Aging Parents

Life Is Pretty Amazing

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Our Aging Parents | Read Time: 2 minutes, 10 seconds
Over the last ten weeks I've written about forgiveness, loss, fatigue and saying goodbye to our parents as they walk their end of life journey. Realistically, the death of ones parents is not really the end of the journey for those left behind. There are funeral arrangements to be made, homes to be cleared out and sold while other legal matters are addressed. Not surprisingly grief set-in and color...
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Our Aging Parents

Fatigue That Comes From Loss

Posted: 8 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Our Aging Parents | Read Time: 2 minutes, 25 seconds
 Last week I wrote about asking the right questions when making decisions as you walk the end of life journey with your parents. Today, I am looking at the fatigue that come from loss and what it means to those experiencing it. For the last six months of my mother's life I was tired. Bone tired. I asked others for help where it made sense,...
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