This week I completed my internship to fulfill requirements of my geriatric care management coursework. The time I’ve spent with my preceptor and care manager mentors has flown by and I’m grateful for the time and wisdom they have shared with me. I’m most grateful to their clients and family members who agreed to share their lives with me. Even as this week winds down, it is not a good-bye chapter. I’ve made amazing friends and have much more to learn from them.  Bob, Mary, Carol, and Ed (names changed out of respect for privacy), you take my breath away at the challenges that you rise up to face head-on every day. To my mentors, for the respect, love and loyalty that you show every minute of every day to your clients, I am humbled by your decency and I honor you.

It is fitting that Thanksgiving is in the air; I have so much to be grateful for: my husband who loves me unconditionally and supported my desire for an encore career before either of us knew that this mid-life search had a name; my son who believes in me even when I doubt myself; family and friends who continually cheer for me every step of my journey; and for every person in this world who acknowledges the wisdom, courage and grace of the aged.