I did a little crowd sourcing this past week and received the confirmation I needed to begin a new blog focusing on women in the second half of life. After several hours of brainstorming and some good input from friends, I landed on the title “Autumn Gospel.” Some of the other ideas I received will be useful for future posts, (so thank you for your wonderful input!) but I love the feel and the focus of these two words together and I think they accurately represent my goal for this blog. I even bought the domain name. Not sure what I’m going to do with it, but it’s mine! AutumnGospel.com
Autumn: A season of harvesting good things, of vibrant color, of change, of maturity.
Gospel: Good news! Glad tidings! Truth.
Many of the issues facing women today are universal and not specific to a particular age or season of life. However, there are some unique challenges that women in their 50s and 60s (and beyond) face.
While most of us are empty-nesters, I have friends who still have children in high school or college, or are home again after college. I have friends who are raising grandchildren. Many of my friends have aging parents that need their help to one degree or another. Some of my friends are dealing with the grief that follows the death of one or both of their parents or their spouse. We have grown “children” and sometimes knowing how to be a parent to grownups is a challenge. We want to be intentional about grand-parenting.
We want to be healthy and active and we care about our weight, and our physical fitness and strength, and we still care about fashion (we don’t want to look and dress like 20 year-olds, but please – not like “old ladies” either!) Do we dye our hair, or go natural?
After years of raising families and working full or part-time jobs, many of us find ourselves wondering how to live with purpose in these years when we feel we still have so much to give. We definitely don’t want to be put on the shelf, or “put out to pasture!” At the same time, this may also be a time when life slows down enough for the “cracks” in our souls to show up. Guilt, shame, unforgiveness, and unfulfilled hopes and dreams can cause depression and hopelessness over the future.
We also care deeply about our spiritual health. We want to continue to grow and mature in our faith. We want to be available to mentor and coach a younger generation.
This is a complex season and I hope this will be a place to process and gain insight in how to live this part of life with joy and hope. I want to embrace and enjoy these beautiful autumn years
So, welcome to my updated and re-focused blog. I welcome your comments and would love to hear subjects that you would like to discuss. I would love to interview some of you and hear your stories.
Welcome to the Autumn Gospel. There is so much good news and beauty to share!
Autumn Gospel 