The number of books, poems, essays, documents, emails, unearthed pieces kept in boxes too long seem to multiply by the year.

This is the year I have committed to sort through all the files of sermons preached, letters received, clippings saved, quotes cataloged for almost 50 years.

I have referenced many of them over the years. The time grows short so that the time has come to sort and eliminate. My sentimental nature fights me every step of the way, but I dare not leave this task to others in the family. Frankly, it might be good for them just to know the kind of stuff I found useful, inspirational and worth keeping for so long.

One of the joys of living where we do is that we have such prolific wildlife as everyday neighbors. Among that wildlife is a wide selection of birds, particularly quail and doves.

We also enjoy two four legged canines, one a dacshund, the other a papillion. The former is a hunter. Over the weekend Zeb, the daschund, cajoled two baby doves into our house. He transported them by mouth without injuring either. The first one was mature enough to be set free quickly. The other is still a nesting bird, who required some care overnight, but is doing well and back in his nest today.

Sharon, my spouse, having had some experience with domestic birds, took quick action, fed the littlle guy pedialyte, which restores his electrolytes and helps in recovering from trauma. In addition she prepared an overnight crib for him/her and

As rich as the subjects are for political dialog, discussion, comment and rages, we choose generally to try to avoid them here. Early on, we tried a few and our numbers didn’t suggest that was a favored subject among our readers. There are enough bloggers, commentators and sundry others who seem to fill that gap quite overwhelmingly and often unnecessarily.

Cricical as the subjects are, e.g. health care, supreme court nomination, stimulus issues, baling out bankrupt companies, ad nauseum, my guess is most who attempt to address these matters do so by adding heat, but little light.

My guess is the stuff we do put up every day, except weekends, holds its own special appeal for our worldwide audience of readers. Otherwise, we wouldn’t still be hammering out our comments and insights every day.

Exercise is probably the most highly recommended activity, particularly for seniors, of any that are designed to be productively healthy. There are some other exercises that, while not so often recommended by health professionals, may produce equally positive results.

LOOKING BACK: Reviewing one’s past, with a sense of objective appreciation, requires turning your head as far to the right and to the left as possible. This also benefits back up in an automobile when exiting a parking place. This is an exercise, more for the purpose of loosening your neck, than recalling what happened way back then. Observing seniors, I mean really physically affected seniors, backing out their car excites generous humor. If laughter is also a good exercise, don’t overlook finding humor in daily life.

Would you consider going back to work? Some retirees have had no other choice since the economy and resources have taken such nosedives. Some have chosen to do so, in an attempt to head off further draining of what nest egg may be left. Some are just burrowing in and cutting back, both good disciplines in this headache of a time. Deciding to seek out employment is a totally different ball game. It has far reaching implications.

Deciding a) that you would be willing to look at options and b) that you would be willing to explore those options through submitting resumes and interviews are the first big steps. Ascertaining what options might have appeal is no small part of the exploration. What are you willing to do? How much time will you be prepared to commit? What will it take to make it economically worthwhile, remembering you aren’t supporting the whole family this time?

What are the ego issues which you are prepared to face? How much energy are you prepared to devote to an

Was there anything that made this day worthwhile? No one can answer this question for you. The expenditure of today’s available time and energy was all up to you. Admittedly, in public, we would like to declare that it was all good, productive, worthwhile. But, come on, really how did you invest the day in ways that made a significant difference for you and perhaps others?

It is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of apathetic inactivity. It is enormously tempting to let your body dictate how little you do. Not now, we say, maybe later, we urge! It isn’t just procrastination, it is downright melancholy and lack of motivation. It is surrendering to not having demands. It is giving up to not being pressed for ideas or even active involvement in anything. Some are motivationally driven. Some find purpose in day to day giving and living. Others of us just give up and give in.

As for me and my house, I had no idea I would ever reach the age in which I classified myself among older folk. The reality is I am here And the second reality is not quite so bad as I expected. To be sure, it has it’s down days, but there really are more up days with satisfaction and reward than I had imagined.

If you are still struggling with getting through having fewer things to give you identity, I have some insights, which I hope will be helpful and hopeful to you.

Getting older is not the curse you might have expected. It is, in fact, full of pleasure, excitement, creativity,expanded affection, enlarged experiences that allow persons, many of whom are much younger, to introduce us to worlds of unimagined wonder.

As one ages, the ring of the telephone can be a tension producing moment. Most really serious calls come late at night, but some interrupt otherwise ordinary days. That is why when a call comes, particularly at a low level threat time of the day, it is so welcome.

Among the really good news one gets these days is when an offspring calls sharing encouraging news about their life, their financial situation, their job and maybe an upcoming promotion, their health, the good place he and his significant other are right now. Such good news raises the endorphin level and lifts the spirit. Such a call just came and it could not have been more timely.

Our family has included now seven pets, three pairs of dogs (five of whom have been daschunds), a papillion and a tabby cat. Each of them has offered their own unique blend of happiness and expressions of affection to us. They have given and received our attention and affection. The two who live with us now are both rescues, whom I found on www.Petfinder.com while I was recovering from cancer surgery. One is a black mini daschund, the other a glorious papillion. None ever replaces any of the others, they just bring their own special and unique blend of joy to our lives.

While there are some few inconveniences, particularly if travel is frequent, there are more day to day benefits in sharing life with pets, so that they literally become a part of the family. I have wondered how many pets one must have and grieve over losing. The answer is as many as you choose to have. Pets are, nor should they be, not to be taken for granted.

Part of growing up, or is that growing older, is finding that movement is less quick and agile. Moving rapidly is just more of an ordeal than it once was. Having returned from Texas to Arizona after a two day road trip, each time I climbed out of the car seemed to take longer, each step more difficult, each ache more pronounced.

Osteoarthritis is a reality for many of us in our senior years. It robs agility and offers pain as its daily routine. There are methods for managing it. None will make it go away. Certain exercises alleviate stiffness and enable movement. Some medications offer relief, but always be aware of impending side effects.

This particular kind of arthritis strikes the joints. The simple description of the process is this: The cartilege between two parts of a joint cushions those two parts so that when they move, the bones do