“Go read your books; someday you will be a teacher. I don’t want you be a pot-walloper like me, your mama.” Your words must have come from the eight year old child who, arriving in America, was put to work in a cigar factory, stripping stems out of the leaves. When you told us your job, we teased you--“Our mother was a stripper!”

You always demeaned yourself, though you were the finest baker, the best cook, the creator of dresses for me and suits for my three brothers. You knitted sw

I received a fun little comparison between 1965 and 2013 and wanted to share it with the Stage of Life community. If you're a Baby Boomer, you may get a kick out of this (or it'll depress you!)...

1965: Long hair
2013: Longing for hair

1965: KEG
2013: EKG

1965: Acid rock
2013: Acid reflux

1965: Moving to California because it's cool
2013: Moving to Arizona because it's warm

1965: Trying to look like Marlon Brando

"These don’t match," said the Social Security clerk, comparing my birth certificate and my SS application, unamused at my response, "I wasn't born married."

Sometimes, I feel that is the case because life as I knew it is over. Now I belong to that vast sisterhood of unemployed ladies, dismissed from careers as wives, lovers, caregivers and caretakers. To keep busy, we are consummate volunteers, competent babysitters, and advice-givers to teenagers and young marrieds. We play canasta,

Granddaughter Elishe introduced me to Facebook, thus opening the email portal with former high school students, friends and relatives. The latest round of emails began with Elishe, announcing a pregnancy and describing the parent-teacher conferences in the school where she teaches in Jerusalem.

Then an email from Nephew Lee, the talented composer in Brooklyn, giving me access to his 7000 picture gallery and editing my family tree.

An email from Cousin Chuck in California

2012 is a year to remember. The 113th Congress we elected will include more women than ever before, including women of all races and sexual orientation.

New Hampshire made a clean sweep with its female governor and all-female house delegation, joining its incumbent female senators. There were also many women taking state and local offices.

One of the most interesting presidential candidates was Jill Stein, of the Green Party. Hardly noticed in the Obama-Romney fracas, her

As one of the Stage of Life Editors keeping an eye out for products and services that can be of assistance to Baby Boomers, I came across the company Wearever. With more Boomers taking care of their aging parents, not to mention aging themselves, the often taboo topic of incontinence is something not everyone is comfortable talking about.

Because of that, we asked Wearever to share their thoughts about this issue in the hopes that it'll help those of you dealing with it, either with

I moved to Germany this year with my husband when he took retirement .Ive been a "house wife "come part time jewellery making teacher for the past 20 years so I didn't know how i would feel having company around all day but It is fun most of the time .We are finding out so much about starting a new life in a new place that we don't have time to sit still .I have just started a blog about our life here to let folk know there is life beyond work .I would love to here from other folk that are thin

by Ermine Cunningham

I called Mom Monday morning with the bad news.
“Mom, Cousin Carmella’s obituary is in the paper.”
“Oh, poor Carm,” she replied. “She’s been sick a long time.”
“Calling hours are tomorrow. I’ll pick you up and we’ll go together?”
“OK,” she answered. “Just remember when I go, I don’t want any calling hours. If they can’t come see you when you’re alive, why bother when you’re laid out? It’s not right.”<

The very moment that wonderfully soft, smooth, moving voice of Nat King Cole’s comes flooding into my ears singing out “Chestnuts roasting by an open fire…”, I am completely mesmerized. I don’t even have to close my eyes and I remember Christmases at my grandparents house- Granddaddy bringing in the cedar tree; retrieving the boxes filled with Christmas treasures from the attic with Grandmother; the plastic Santa face for the front door; the floral displays made of plastic poinsettias, glass o

Reading the newspaper article about Anders Breivik, the right-wing assassin responsible for an attack unparalleled in Norway’s history, I think of the chain of events which brought him to my mind.

“It could have been us,” wrote Lee Brooks, my dear talented nephew, musical director of the annual Oslo Freedom Forum. The forum, supported by world leaders, Amnesty International, the Nobel Peace Center, the University of Oslo and others--business, political and cultural leaders as well as