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Every May we spend a day remembering those
who we've lost to war. We honor their lives by
considering the gift they gave us of freedom
to live our own lives as we choose. In this issue
of Engage we hear about ways we can use the gift
of our lives for the sake of others. Whether we
are spending our retirement caring for girls in
Nepal, grieving with a friend in the midst of
loss, or preparing ourselves to be available for
those in need, our lives become an extension of
those who came before us, and an encouragement for
those who will follow. We hope these articles
serve as an encouragement to you.
We hope you will share Engage
with your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Institute
on Aging
Helping
Bay Area Seniors Live Independently
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Olga Murray: An Encore Career
 In
1987 Olga Murray, then 62, was in
the mountains of Nepal, engrossed
in conversation with her trekking
companions.
She slipped in the mud and
broke her leg; an accident that was the
beginning of her new life as a social
entrepreneur.
In a Nepalese
hospital, a doctor introduced her to a young girl
whose legs had been severly injured. Murray
learned that the girl's one wish was to attend
school. She gave her a $300 scholarship to
cover her education, opening the floodgates
to new lives for each of them.
****************
Excerpted
from Olga's Girls by Meredith May
The San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday,
February 8,
2009
""End the kamlari system!" Murray shouted,
raising her fist in the
air.
In a
form of trafficking concentrated among ethnic
Tharu farmers, destitute families sell their
daughters for $75, the equivalent of a third of
their annual income, to work as live-in "kamlari"
servants in the homes of higher-caste families.
Brokers from cities throughout Nepal
come to the Tharu villages to negotiate or renew
one-year kamlari contracts, fathers are making
deals and advocates like Murray are trying to stop
them.
Murray has a unique way of
doing it. She offers a pig or goat to parents who
promise not to sell their daughters. Families can
make more than they get for their daughter by
breeding or butchering the animal. If they accept,
Murray will also pay the girls' $100 annual school
expenses.
In the last eight years,
3,300 families have taken the deal. Nepalese
charities replicating Murray's model have bartered
another 1,700 girls out of slavery."
Read
more...
Click
to learn more about Murray's
Foundation | |
Words on Grief, Loss &
Love
from the Bay Area Jewish Healing
Center
By Rabbi
Eric Weiss, spoken at the BAJHC 5th Annual Gala
celebrating An Evening of Laughter and Love
 No
matter our health, economic security, or stature,
we all know that no one gets through life
unscathed. None of us wants to become ill, but ill
we become, none of us wants to die, but die we do,
none of us wants to live in grief, but we do.
Illness, death and
grief are not abstract. They are at the core of
our soul's experience. Illness is knowing how
dearly you yearn to do what you used to. Dying is
ultimately mysterious to each of us, even at the
last breath. Grief is that spontaneous reach for
the telephone contracted back, knowing the person
you want to call is no longer home.
These may all leave us lonely,
but none of it can take away the love, the
spiritual stirrings. Illness and death may take a
body, grief may leave us speechless, but they
cannot take away relationship. All because,
stripped down to the core of who we are, it is the
soul's expression that has its way:Love. Love in
all of its complexity, love fulfilled, love
dashed, love of life, love dreamed of...
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Community
Events
Presidio Community YMCA presents
"Outdoor Fitness" with Tina
Vindum
Kick off your summer with
an outdoor workout in the beautiful
Presidio. Led by national outdoor fitness
expert, Tina Vindum, this event is free to the
public, but registration is required. All
fitness levels welcome.
When: Saturday, May
23, 9:00 a.m., registration at
8:30
Where: Presidio
Community YMCA
corner of Lincoln & Funston in the
Presidio
San
Francisco, CA
Cost: FREE
For more information or to
register, call Kate Sheppard,
415-447-9622.
Memorial Day
Commemoration
Parade led by the 191st
Army Band. Formal program features a 60-member
U.S. Army Band including Pipes & Drums.
Ceremony ends with a 21-gun salute by the U.S.
Army's 5th Brigade 75th Division. Following the
program, cemetery walks will be led by park
rangers and costumed
volunteers.
When:
Monday, May 25, 2009
10:30 am - parade at the
Presidio Main Parade Ground
11 am - program at SF
National Cemetery at the Presidio
Where:
the Presidio
San Francisco,
CA Info: www.presidio.gov/calendarNational Senior Health & Fitness
Day
On the same day across
the U.S., 100,000+ older adults will participate
in health promotion events at more than 1,000
local organizations. Senior Health & Fitness
Day, the nation's largest older adult health and
fitness event, is entering its 16th year.
Senior Center
Without Walls
Games, Writing
Workshops, Current Events, Armchair Travelers,
Health Presentations, Support Groups, All on over
the telephone and FREE! If it's difficult for you
to go out to a community senior center, join
these or any of our other activities - all from
the comfort of your home.
Cost:
FREE Info: For more
information call our toll free number
1-877-797-7299 or visit www.SeniorCenterWithoutWalls.org
Forest
Stewardship
Help take care of newly
planted trees. Volunteers will assist with
weeding, mulching, and other stewardship
activities.
When:
Every 2nd Friday of the month, 9am to
Noon
Info: For
information and meeting location, contact the
Presidio Trust Volunteer Coordinator at
(415) 561-5333 or volunteer@presidiotrust.gov |
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ENCOURAGE
Dear
Encourage,
I have been feeling scattered
lately with so much on my mind.
I want to be available to everyone
in my life: my daughters, my grandchildren,
and my Bridge playing buddies, some
of whom are dealing with stressful
situations in their lives and they
need comfort. I get a lot of satisfaction
from helping others, but lately
I have been feeling overwhelmed.
A younger friend mentioned trying
meditation as a way to stay calm
and balanced. Is it too late for
someone in their eighties like me
to learn how to meditate?
Dear
Altruistic One,
First of all, it is
never too late to learn something
new! In fact, trying new things and doing
something out of your normal routine can
contribute to keeping your brain healthy.
In our hectic lives, meditation can serve
as a calming and grounding exercise to reduce
feelings of overwhelm. It is important to take
time to be aware--awareness is what is meant by
mindfulness. Most of the time we are so busy
moving from one task to the next that we seem to
be on "automatic pilot." We should call ourselves
human doings rather than human
beings! Mindfulness involves finding time to
be awake to the unique beauty and opportunities
that each present moment offers. Making some time
in a day to quiet your mind is how you can begin a
meditation practice.
Use the following
phrases in this poem as a way to focus on calmness
and on being aware of yourself now, not focusing
on worries or other distractions. Breathing
in deeply and slowly, say to yourself the first
line, "I have arrived." Breathing out, say to
yourself, "I am home." Try it for a
few minutes:
I have arrived
I am
home
In the here
In the now
I am
solid
I am free
In a nurturing world
I dwell
The meditation above was taken from
readings by Thich Nhat Hanh who is a Zen master,
teacher, and poet. For more information on
mindfulness and meditation, you may want to look
through Jon Kabat-Zinn's books as
well.
Do you have a question about
engaging with life as a senior? Send it our way.
Please note, questions may be printed but will be
kept strictly anonymous. Click here to email us.
Responses are provided by IOA's Janet L.
Meiselman,
PsyD.
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Every month we highlight a family
tradition, such as a recipe, a craft, or a cultural
holiday. Please suggest a tradition from
your family!
This month's family
tradition:
Memorial Day
Moment of
Remembrance
May 25, 2009
3 PM
The National Moment of Remembrance
asks Americans to pause at 3PM on Memorial Day for 1
minute. Whether you are alone or with family and
friends, you can honor those who died in service to our
country. In this shared act we remember those who have
passed, express gratitude and respect for their lives,
and help younger generations understand the sacrifices
made by those who have gone before them.
We'd
like to feature part of your heritage. Share a recipe,
tradition or family story. We'd love to print
it!
Click here to email
us.
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