Winter Grace: Spirituality and Aging

by Kathleen R. Fischer

As our society faces an increasingly older population, this remarkable book reveals that aging is a process rich with joy and blessing, not something to dread. Moving readers into the heart of the Christian paradox of death and resurrection, this hopeful book shows how the losses that accompany aging can lead to freedom and new life.

Genres: Spirituality

210 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after getting a recommendation from a friend. It is a thoughtful book that has some beautiful sections that help us understand how our place in society and our spirituality will change as we age. It is appropriate for those who are aging, for those with aging relatives, and for those that work with the aging. Here are some quotes that I liked:

"Older persons often feel unloved, not because no one is willing to do things for them, but because people no longer value and receive their gifts."

"Many religious groups still speak of ministry to the elderly, without also thinking in terms of ministry of and by the elderly."

"Remembering is a way of finding the pattern or design of our lives. The shape which makes each life experience unique and gives it meaning. This pattern, relating part to part, and part to whole, gives significance to otherwise meaningless experiences. That is why as we grow older we try to piece together a unified self from all the fragments of our lives."

[Anne Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen Fischer uses faith to help readers understand aging. It is by acknowledging the God-given natural rhythms of life that we can age gracefully, a popular goal today, but one often sought from unsatisfying practices and objects. I appreciated the information, the depth of understanding, and above all, the beautiful touch that Kathleen brings to a difficult topic. This is a book I recommend to people frequently.