Not too long ago, I talked about Seniors who are hale and hearty, able to do all the things they dreamed about during their working and child rearing years.

Lately, however, most of the people I see and talk to are folks who have developing or chronic medical problems.

In other words - their Golden Years are tarnished and the Golden Dreams have changed.

Now this may sound like a real “downer” message, but it is not necessarily so. As we age, depending on our genes and lifestyle, our body will sometimes fail us. But our spirit never dies!

This is the time when we become grateful… for every morning we wake up to a new day. We are grateful… for family and friends who still love us, no matter what. We give thanks that medical advances have made it possible for us to get the best out of every day.

What we are discovering is that, although the gold may tarnish - we still possess it.  We may not be able to travel the country in the RV; or dance nimbly at weddings or parties. Yet we still have the capability of smiling, laughing, enjoying and caring about others.

No matter how old we become, life does not end as long as we can draw breath and feel the warmth of the sun or a loved one’s hug.