For many, today marks the most secular day in the calendar of events which occur every year. While, falling on a Sunday, April 15 is usually more notoriously known for the official deadline for submitting one’s taxes to the Government. Since it falls on Sunday, the tax deadline is given two more days of grace, before midnight April 17, Tuesday.

Thus, we are able to set aside, if we dare, submitting our tax forms until Tuesday , which is just one more way to allow procrastinators to completely ruin another week. We dare not, or, at least, do so at our own peril, delay beyond that. Doing so is fraught with its own pitfalls and intimidations.

What is really critical about all this is that there are many more important and critical things about this day that marks our

If you have ever received those annoying email forwards that rail about congress’ benefits, you will appreciate this post. Those email chains and blog posts claim congress members retire with extravagant pay, don’t have to participate in Social Security, and have unlimited health care benefits.
Not so. SCJ has finally dug up the truth about pensions, Social Security and health care benefits for senators and representatives. Here it is.

Often we have lived with them so long that we are amazed that they are no longer around. They are more than household words. They have become a part of the fabric of what makes up our world. They come and go with such regularity in our daily routines, that we just expect them to be there.

One such case happened just this past weekend. Mike Wallace. That is all one has to say. The name conjures up provocative recollections. The image captures one’s attention. He had become stamped indelibly in our memories, our habits, our catalogs of most liked and respected people. His unique personality had earned his place. His characterizations had grabbed our attention for so long that we couldn’t imagine a Sunday evening without him.

In the very middle of what seems like a stimulating and provocative conversation, a thought occurs. Someone else, however, is speaking. By the time they finish, the thought is lost, gone, completely off the screen. Someone says, “Jerry, you had something to add?” “No,”comes the reply. “It doesn’t matter now.”

Refusing to admit that the thought has flown, some clumsy excuse or embarrassing admission of its loss is about all one can do. When that experience becomes more frequent and the forgotten idea or comment occurs more frequently, one becomes aware that it is time to acquire another strategy or choose to participate less in conversational interchange. The latter is likely to be noticed, particularly if you have been known to be an active and astute participant. When one retreats to less and less contributions, others may pick up the slack, without noticing. Someone, however, may eventually call attention to your reticence

Here’s something to ponder: Why has the word ‘entitlement’ become a negative slur? It seems to be used whenever politicians want to cast a government program in a negative light and influence negative perceptions. It appears to be an attempt to manipulate public opinion, once again. Sigh.

For senior citizens, Social Security and Medicare have been cast in the ‘entitlement’ negativism by some politicians, and it makes no sense. Well, except to try to manipulate our opinions, and therefore our votes. The discussion on this comment thread is a good description of the issue.

Entitlement is really very narrowly defined. The Merriam-Webster free online dictionary defines entitlement as , “…a right to

Whatever the occasion, special or ordinary, there is good reason, to create out of every opportunity we have with our senior family and friends, activities and memories worth preserving.

Too many of us get into the habit of expecting not to expend extra energy or investing meaningful time with older persons in our family circle or among our acquaintances. Our elderly loved ones spend an inordinate amount of time alone, particularly if they reside in a care facility. Many residents, of such facilities, know few who are their neighbors. Some come from other communities, literally knowing no one with whom they expend their days. Loneliness and meaninglessness can quickly become a malady, creating depression, discouragement and despondency.

Someone shared this PRAYER OF MID-LIFE with me a number of years ago. I hadn’t even reached mid-life when I first was introduced to this prosaic reminder of what seems to accompany arriving at that stage. The author is Jacqueline Lowery Corn. I thank her for this eloquent nudge. (The words and characterizations are just as she wrote them).

“Father, I stand before You–my innocence faded, my rebellion quieted. I stand humbled and mellowed by mid-life.

Silver strands streak my hair and my body with signs of age. I approach You in the midst of an inner battle to break free from who I am and to move toward who I will become.

When your journey is completed and your life is reviewed, how do you want to be remembered? Maybe you had rather not even talk about it. Some declare, “Well, that won’t be up to me.” Others opine “Well, that doesn’t matter.” Still others suggest that “being remembered” is not something they worry about.

Some seniors we know may invest a little more reflective insight into the question. Some may dwell on it almost obsessively. Still others may ruminate on it at the expense of getting some things done now, about which you will be remembered later. Some, perhaps rightly, just “Don’t give a damn!”

No matter our interest or lack of it, likely once every now and then, the thought fleetingly passes, “How, do you suppose, will I be

Senior Citizen Journal’s(SCJ) commitment to partnering with seniors for productive aging just received a huge boost. The Aging in America conference was held over the weekend (April 1, 2012) in Washington DC. The president and CEO of AgeWave, Ken Dychtwald said, “Anyone who thinks [the boomers] will turn 65 and be the same as the generation before are missing out on the last 60 years of sociology,” he said. “The boomers change every stage of life through which they migrate.” (HuffPost, April 2, 2012)

SCJ has been writing about the influence of Baby Boomers for almost four years now. Average longevity for men and women is now pushing 90 years. Living beyond 100 is no longer unusual. Seniors today know they probably have many productive years after they retire, if they retire at all. We’re looking at a new model of senior living.

If no one comes forward, will my lottery tickets have any more value than they do now? The rainbow clearly ended at another’s door. It may even be that three persons hold the treasure in their hands and have not yet come forward. Or, having bought tickets, they just haven’t got around to checking them over. Can you imagine?

All other issues nothwithstanding, it is clear that I didn’t win and, if history is any indicator, I won’t. Some years ago I bought a handful of tickets with some regularity. Never winning, except a dollar or two here and there, I finally convinced myself that the odds really were against me. One of our relatives called suggesting we share in buying some tickets this time around. You know, “If you don’t play, you can’t win” strategy. We played. We still didn’t win. None of the states where the alleged winner(s) is/are supposed to live even is close to us. The rainbow did not show its true colors anywhere near us.