“When you’re 50 you start thinking about things you haven’t thought about before. I used to think getting older was about vanity, but actually it’s about losing people you love. Getting wrinkles is trivial.”

“ And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is better to hold hands and stick together.”

“You might think sitting with someone who is dying means you will be having big conversations about the meaning of life,” a hospice chaplain had advised me. “Wrong! Sometimes, all that’s called for is to just show up and watch Jeopardy! together.”

“We do ourselves and others a disservice when we make old age something to be feared. Life is not a resource to be used up, so that the older we get, the less life we have left. Life is the accumulation of wisdom, love and experience of people encountered and…

“Do something nice for somebody that needs it. If you have someone who needs a phone call, make the phone call. If somebody needs a visit, go make that visit.”

“If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.”