Growing in Age and Wisdom - eBooks.

Growing in Age and Wisdom

By Anne Millar

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Inspirational reflections that affirm the dignity, purpose, and interdependence of later life, inviting older adults – and those who care for them – to embrace grace, connection, and meaning.

This book will help you:

• Reframe ageing as a time of continued growth, wisdom, and purpose
• Cultivate health, harmony, and well-being through reflective insights
• Navigate relationships, endings, and transitions with clarity and compassion
• Explore the emotional landscape of later life through accessible, poetic reflections
• Offer caregivers, ministers, and institutions nurturing perspectives and language
• Challenge ageist stereotypes by affirming the worth of older adults
• Encourage interdependence, justice, and self-respect across all stages of ageing

Features

• A collection of concise, thoughtful essays originally from the Touchstone newspaper
• Organized into five themed sections: Making Meaning; Health and Harmony; Relationships and Realities; Edges and Endings; Seasons and Stages
• Includes poems and photographs that enrich reflection and engagement
• Rooted in Anne Millar’s experience as a nurse, counsellor, and pastoral minister

You are buying a zipped file containing eBook editions of this 108 page book in ePub and Mobi formats.

ISBNs
ePub 9781927260029
Mobi  9780958268271.

Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (Print 2009, eBooks 2013).

Description

Growing in Age and Wisdom warmly invites readers into a contemplative journey through the nuances of ageing.

Comprised of short, poignant articles – initially published in Touchstone, the Methodist Church of NZ’s newspaper – the collection radiates encouragement and insight, ideal for older adults, caregivers, churches, libraries, and educational contexts.

Anne Millar draws upon her rich background in nursing, counselling, and pastoral care to illuminate the challenges and gifts of ageing. The essays are thoughtfully grouped into five thematic segments.

“Making Meaning” contemplates legacy, identity, and the beauty of growing in wisdom.

“Health and Harmony” nurtures well-being through gratitude, creativity, movement, and laughter.

“Relationships and Realities” faces complex emotional terrain – from friendship and sexuality to grief and caregiving – with empathy and honesty.

“Edges and Endings” guides readers through transitions like retirement, loss, abuse, and the inevitability of endings, while affirming identity and agency.

Finally, “Seasons and Stages” offers meditative reflections on identity, memory, courage, and the rhythms of life.

Laced with poems and photographs, each piece invites contemplation and recognition of the sacred in ordinary moments.

Millar’s voice emerges as gentle yet profound, urging society to move beyond ageism and toward a more inclusive, respectful dialogue about later life.

This volume is a quiet celebration of ageing as a journey defined not by decline, but by renewed purpose, connection, and meaning.

“The simple beauty and depth of being in relation to those around us and our environment unfolds. Anne’s words convey the essence of interdependence and its centrality in faith, life and death. The underlying importance of embracing the life we have is lovingly presented through the many cameos. Presbyterian Support Upper South Island is honoured to be associated with Anne, her work and this book.” Vaughan Milner, Chief Executive, Presbyterian Support Upper South Island (2009)

About the Author

Anne Millar brought decades of experience as a nurse, counsellor, and ordained Methodist minister in New Zealand. Much of her writing originally appeared in Touchstone, the Methodist Church of NZ’s newspaper. Through pastoral ministry and personal care, she  offered comfort, insight, and hope to older adults. This book beautifully reflects her commitment to dignity, interdependence, and compassionate understanding of the ageing experience.

From the Introduction

“Society’s attitudes to ageing have tended to relegate older people to the periphery of society with the label the elderly. Myths, stereotypes and negative attitudes have been very insidious and damaging, and they have contributed to many injustices.

Justice, love and compassion are part of the heritage I claim as a Christian. At its best, this heritage is about the dignity, worth and value of all people, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity or culture. My offerings in writing have hopefully been a small contribution to these values.

A deeper understanding of people through all the stages of ageing is needed. Many older people face the greatest challenges of their lives. Equally important is the need to encourage people to value and respect themselves and their roles in families and society. There are choices to be made along the way and people have to take responsibility for their choices about life, relationships and participation.

Wise and visionary older people have made a lasting contribution to humankind through the ages. History is being written now as older people develop their wisdom and skills and search for ways to make a difference in the world.”

Contents

Title and Copyright
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Making Meaning

• Celebrate the journey of ageing
• The years bring gifts
• Growing in wisdom
• Dreaming dreams awakens new life
• Embracing cultural diversity
• The Bethlehem baby — a love story
• What’s in a Name?

Health and Harmony

• Value the Unique Person You Are
• Choose to Have the Grace to Receive
• In Touch with Ourselves, We are in Touch with God
• Keeping Hope Alive
• Good and Bad News About Depression
• Living with an Attitude of Gratitude
• Enhancing Life with Music
• The Joy of Dancing
• Laughter is Good Medicine

Relationships and Realities

• Value Friendships Old and New
• Till Death Do Us Part?
• Sexuality and Ageing
• Add Self-care to the Crucible of Caring
• Grandparents Face Challenges in Today’s Society
• Reflections on Mothers and Daughters
• When is the Right Time to Die?
• When a Partner Dies

Edges and Endings

• Retirement or Re-creation?
• Fearing and Faithing
• Pleasures and Pitfalls of Downsizing
• When it’s Time to Leave Home…
• The Last Days of Living
• Celebrate Life’s Legacy
• Elder Abuse Subtle and Overt
• I’m Still a Person
• Loving Kindness in Action

Seasons and Stages

• Who Am I Now?
• Have the Wisdom to Remember
• Wintering with Courage
• Butterflies Emerge from Cocoons of Grief
• Life’s Story the Perfect Christmas Gift
• Celebrate the Child Within
• Having the Courage to Question
• Changing Expectations
• Reflections on the Autumn Season