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How ‘solo agers’ and others can expand their social circles

Your longtime pals know all your best stories, what you'll order when you eat together at the place you always go and how you feel about your relatives, current events and exercise classes on Zoom. Make new friends, and whole new worlds open — and that's good for you.

"We've all just gone through an unwanted national experiment on social isolation, and there's no better time than the present for increasing your social circle," said Dr. Eric Lenze, a geriatric psychiatrist and psychiatry professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

His research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, explores the effects of stress and social isolation on older adults and the benefits of social activities for increasing resilience. "Older adults who report a higher level of social support have better emotional health, physical health and brain health, plus they have better cognitive functioning over time," Lenze said. "Initially, many older adults proved quite resilient at sheltering in place. But as it went along, it started to take a toll on mental and physical health."

That may be especially true for "solo agers." Some 27% of adults 60 and older in the U.S. live alone, and it's particularly important for these individuals to stay connected.

To ramp up social interactions, Lenze recommends all older adults get vaccinated against COVID-19 right away and then follow these steps: • Write down any social networks you gave up during the pandemic and start reconnecting. • Consider what you do online, including scheduling grocery deliveries, and go back to doing some of the activities in person.

• Think about all things you wished you could have done during the pandemic and start filling your schedule.

That last recommendation is known in psychology as "pleasant-events scheduling," and Lenze said it is one of the most effective treatments for depression.

"Fill up your calendar, even with things you never did before," he said. "There's nothing about aging that suggests you can't try new things."

Increasing your social interactions requires a deliberative effort, and Margit

Novack, of Philadelphia, and the author of "Squint: Revisioning the Second Half of Life," understands that.

In response to our question on the Next Avenue Community Facebook page, she wrote, "Developing friends as an older woman requires more intentionality. When I was raising kids or at work, friendships developed naturally. Now, if I want deeper relationships than acquaintances, I need to create space/ opportunity for that to happen."

Conventional wisdom suggests that we'll find new friends by joining a book club or knitting group — or starting one. Others choose to volunteer at a food bank, work on a political campaign or sign up for docent training at a museum or zoo.

"You get a two-fer if you join an exercise or yoga class or a meditation group because you get the physical and mental benefits of the activity plus the socialization," Lenze said. "Going to a dance class is a three-fer, because that's also cognitively stimulating."

When you move to a new city or town, opportunities immediately arise for making new friends. When Ginny Burch Reed moved from New Hampshire to Vermont, she found lots of opportunities to volunteer for local organizations. "For a person who isn't particularly 'social,'" she said, "I seem to be involved in quite a few activities and have met a lot of terrific folks."

Jana L Hill relocated from Washington, D.C. to Belize, where she quickly found like-minded people. Every Saturday, Hill and a half dozen other individuals walk the pups living in animal shelters.

Charlotte Japp, a 2020 Next Avenue Influencer in Aging, makes a case for welcoming younger people into your inner circle. Japp is the founder of "More and more, we are siloed by age, and there are career and social consequences to that," Japp said. "We all go through very nuanced abstract experiences and it's good to talk to someone who has a different perspective. Life is so enriched by diversity, in every sense."

Kim Coryat, 65, agrees. "Several of my best friends are younger than my daughter, and socializing with them keeps me up on pop culture, current fashion and music," she said.

One of her best friends is 30 years her junior, and Coryat, who lives in Conway, Ark., takes vacations with a 75-year-old friend and the woman's 55-year-old daughter. Coryat retired early in 2020 from her job as an archivist at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark.

"I trained for that job with people thirty years younger than I was, and I didn't feel generational barriers," Coryat said. "Maybe that's because I went to college late, too. I didn't start until I was forty, after I retired from the military."

Coryat noted that she easily blended in with a younger crowd then because she didn't look her age. "Also, I was open to learning new things, going out to clubs and singing karaoke," she said. "I even joined a boot camp exercise program, where I learned as a woman of a certain age that jumping up and down was not my strong suit."

Hart Edmonds, a Presbyterian pastor who lives in Hillsborough, N.C., also responded to our query on the Next Avenue Community Facebook page. "I give thanks for several younger adults as friends as I enter retirement," he wrote. "As a minister, I've been privileged to work with and learn from younger people who I find yearning for mentors and friendship with older adults. Too often our culture segments people by age and stage of life."

Anne Crowley also appreciates her younger friends, "for the energy they have and for reminding me it's important to have hope and keep working to make this world a better place."

Crowley, based in Washington, D.C., added that she has expanded her circle by starting a group for women "in or approaching midlife who want to make these years the best of their lives" and "by seeing a lot of live music and being friendly to people I meet at shows." Steve Trickler of Scottsbluff, Neb., is in his 60s, and he's noticed many people his age are starting to slow down. "Maintaining ties with my younger friends allows me to stay more active," he wrote. "Plus, they are more adventuresome, more willing to try new things, go places. They are more in tune with literature and music — all of which excites me and keeps me enthused. Staying young at heart is about challenging yourself and finding new horizons to excite you and energize you."

Making new friends may help you do just that.

Patricia Corrigan is a professional journalist, with decades of experience as a reporter and columnist at a metropolitan daily newspaper, and a book author. She now enjoys a lively freelance career, writing for numerous print and on-line publications. Read more from Patricia at latetothehaight.

Source: www.nextavenue.org

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Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2

This month’s cover profile is Dolly McLemore and she leads a program at her church called Celebrate Recovery, which is a biblically balanced approach to help bring sustainable recovery and healing to our hurts. It guides us toward new healthy truths and life-giving habits as we repair our broken relationships. Not only does Dolly help people heal from their hurts and brokenness, she has been called to become a Vocational Deacon in the Anglican Communion. Her story in how she was called into the Anglican ministry as a deacon is interesting and inspirational, she proves once again you’re never too old to pursue new dreams or a calling from God! Her faith is her guide and we wanted to share her story during this holiday season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know Dolly as much as we have, she has much to share.

BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e., where you’re from, education, what brought you to the Montgomery area, did you raise your family here, schools, married, family, etc.?

Dolly: I am the only child of Jake and Ruth Widner. My father was in the Air Force for 30 years. We lived in San Francisco, England, New Mexico, France, and Germany before my parents retired in Montgomery in 1970. My father’s parents, XM, and Carrie Vivian Widner had moved to Montgomery from

Oklahoma, so my parents decided to make Montgomery their final home. I attended Sidney Lanier my Junior and Senior years of high school. I attended the University of South Alabama in Mobile, married Jack McLemore (from Montgomery) and taught 9th grade Social Studies at McGill-Toolen High School. Several years later we welcomed Andrea Catherine and Andrew Jackson. We moved to Jackson, Mississippi to help plant a church and start a jewelry

business. Our third child, Carrie Alice was born in Jackson, and we lived there for 20 years before a three-year stint in New York City.

Carrie had an opportunity to pursue her love of acting so we helped her follow her dreams. Her most notable role was as a lead in Whit Stillman’s sweet movie, Damsels in Distress. Carrie is married to Streeter Wiatt, and they have four children, son Jackson married Nicole Persky and they have 3 girls, Andrea married Darryl McCaul. Jack and I have

been so very blessed to have such a wonderful and growing family. We are deeply proud of who our children have become.

BOOM!: You have a master’s degree in Counseling and have dedicated your life to helping adults and children with character and treatment issues. Please share with our readers the how and why you decided to pursue a career in counseling? What have been some of the biggest challenges in your field of work? How would you describe the reward in helping people with these types of issues?

Dolly: As a teacher, I found myself often in the role of counselor. I also became very interested in what the Mississippi schools were teaching our children about sex-education. I was invited to become a member of the Mississippi Department of Education’s Healthy Kid’s Means a Healthy Mississippi Task Force. The Task Force was instructed to review appropriate sex-education curricula and write a curriculum grades K5 – 12 for adoption in Mississippi. I was elected the Chair of the Curriculum Committee. The result was a balanced, science-based curriculum that promoted abstinence as the healthiest and most reliable method of birth-control while acknowledging the truth about the benefits and risks of other birth-control methods. My involvement on this Task Force opened the door for me to become the director of Family Counseling and Resource which was developed to offer abstinence/ character education in several inner-city middle schools and high schools. I wrote for and received a federal grant award to teach a program called Teen Aid. For the next three years, my staff worked within health classes to educate students and encourage them to take control of their reproductive destiny. Included in this program were lessons on substance abuse, dating, healthy relationships with

peers and parents, setting and achieving goals, and other character related issues. One of the benefits of the federal grant I received to teach abstinence/character education was an earmark for continuing education. I enrolled in Mississippi College, received a scholarship,

and earned a master’s degree in Counseling/ Psychology. I eventually took a position as the first Director of the Rankin County School District’s developing Parent Center. The Parent Center was a district-wide effort to provide resources and workshops to parents on a wide range of topics. I incorporated family counseling into the offerings of the Dolly and Jack Surrounded by their Seven Grands, from left to right bottom row Charlotte Wiatt, Streeter Wiatt, Jack Parent Center and

McLemore Wiatt, Jack, Nate Wiatt, Dolly, Annabelle McLemore, Top - Raegan McLemore, Lorelai McLemore additionally worked

with families referred by the county juvenile court. During my stay in New York City, I returned to my interest of educating and motivating students to strategically chart their lives through abstinence/character education. We developed a curriculum called Healthy Respect and piloted it with federal funds in schools in Westchester, the Bronx and Brooklyn. Healthy Respect is still During her year of recovery, Dolly active today.

My family moved to Montgomery, to be near my husband’s parents and I went to work at Chemical Addiction Program (CAP) as an Adult Family Educator and Therapist. I eventually became the Adolescent Program Coordinator, and the Interim Executive Director, and Board Member. We later sold CAP to Alethia house. During my time at CAP, I became a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Therapist. I found the work fascinating and challenging and had the good

fortune to work with some truly amazing people. One young therapist I supervised has gone onto be the director of substance abuse programs for Carastar.

My interest in treatment and recovery issues led me to say YES to a request by my pastor, Father Andrew Rowell, who asked me to start a Celebrate Recovery program at Christchurch Anglican here in Montgomery.

BOOM!: As a woman of faith, would you share your Christian Journey, and the guidance God has provided?

Dolly: I grew up in the Episcopal Church, but because my military family moved so much I did not experience consistent church attendance or participation in church-related Youth Groups. My parents were certainly Christian believers, but we did not have times of family prayer or discussions about our faith. Even though I was christened as a baby and later confirmed in the Episcopal Church, I cannot say I truly understood Christianity or personally knew Christ. I struggled with fear and anger when my father was deployed to Vietnam. I was a Junior in high school at the time he went to war, and we had just moved to Montgomery. I left my friends and activities – girl’s basketball, softball and cheerleading in Germany and knew no one in Montgomery except a few cousins. During my father’s absence I rebelled against my mother and started hanging out with kids who were drinking and doing drugs. I thought I had found the “cool” crowd, but instead I found myself getting high, neglecting school, and arguing with my mother. She got serious about taking me to church and asked everyone she knew to pray for me.

In my Senior year of high school, my boyfriend went off to the University of South Alabama and met a student on campus who asked him if he wanted to know Jesus? In October of 1971, he became a Christian, and the week after that, was immersed in Christian fellowship before he came home to tell me about Jesus. Not knowing really how to explain Jesus, he gave me a little book called The Holy Spirit and You by an Episcopal priest named Dennis Bennet. I read the first chapter which described the idea that Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and that if I put my faith in Jesus, he would make me a new person; I could live by the power of the Holy Spirit and get to know Jesus more and more. The words by Bennet resonated with me and I thought, could this really be true?

Deep in my heart I knew that what I was reading was true…and I had a choice to make. I knew I had to respond to this truth about God, I could not wait. As 2 Cor. 6:2 says, “Today is the day of salvation.” I prayed for God to forgive me of my sins, and I told God I believed in Jesus. It was not an eloquent prayer, but I felt something earth-shattering had just happened. I felt like the character, Jane Studdock, in C. S. Lewis’s novel, That Hideous Strength. My world was “unmade.” Anything, absolutely anything, could happen, because my world was unmade; I understood by faith that God really existed, Jesus was his Son who died on a cross for the sins of the world, and I was now a Christian. My boyfriend came to see me the next day and I told him I too believed Jesus was the Son of God. We flushed the drugs I had down the toilet and immediately joined with other young Christians that day for fellowship. My journey as a Jesus Freak had begun. My boyfriend, who proved to be a genuine Christian, later became my husband. I am forever grateful to Jack for demonstrating daily what it means to be a mature, godly man, husband, and father. Our children adore him and respect his gentleness. He has stood by my side through good times and bad and has been faithful to our marriage in every way. I am truly blessed! We have been married 48 years. We have three children and 7 grandchildren, and we have been Christ-followers and drug-free for 51 years. Thank you, Jack, for leading me to Jesus!

BOOM!: You are a member of Christ Church Anglican, located at 8800 Vaughn Road in Montgomery, and you were asked to start up and lead a program called Celebrate Recovery, would you share what this program is and its benefits? How would someone participate in Celebrate Recovery?

Dolly: Celebrate Recovery is for anyone over 18 years old who wants support to be free of their hurts, hang-ups, or habits. Celebrate Recovery currently meets every Friday night at 6:00 p.m. for supper, followed by everyone meeting together which includes worship, a testimony or lesson, and small gender-specific process groups. We offer a monthly Chip Ceremony to celebrate and reward progress made to maintain sobriety or the commitment to ‘doing better’ in each person’s chosen area of change. We have Communion the last Friday of each month. Last Spring, we offered Pastor Rick Warren’s Celebrate Recovery related program Life’s Healing Choices, and we plan to offer a Step Study beginning in January 2023. The only Fridays we do not meet are the major holidays of Good Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, otherwise we host Celebrate Recovery at Christchurch, 8800 Vaughn Road next to Southern Homes and Gardens. Everyone

I must admit that I agreed to form a Celebrate Recovery program at Christchurch for the benefit of our church and the community. However, I believe that I have been the greatest beneficiary of the power of the Holy Spirit working through the encouragement of Celebrate Recovery to deal with my own hurts, hang-ups, and habits. Working through the Steps, and 8 Principles, based on the Beatitudes, has been truly freeing, and has watered by faith in ways I had not expected. Celebrate Recovery is not just for people with addiction issues. We all have many life issues that contribute to our unhappiness or the unhappiness of others. But the Good News is, through the love and mercy of Christ we can identify and confess those destructive hurts, hang-ups and habits that trip us up. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to work on our own issues in a caring, non-judgmental environment. Call me at 334-301-3490 or email me at dollenemclemore0@gmail.com for more information.

Celebrate Recovery teaches the principals which incorporate the 12 Steps and the Beatitudes or Sermon on the mount. Check out https:// celebraterecovery.com to learn more about how Celebrate Recovery got started, how it operates, and its scope.

BOOM!: Dolly you are in the process of becoming a Vocational Deacon, a member of the diaconate which is an order of the ministry in the Anglican Church, would you please share your journey in becoming a Vocational Deacon? What will be your major responsibility in the church? What does it feel like to be on this unique journey as a sixty something? As a woman?

Dolly: I met several years ago with my pastor, Father Andrew Rowell, the Rector of Christchurch Anglican. I had talked with my husband, Jack, about my frustration with retirement. I wanted to fill my days with something more than lunching and television. Actually, I was bored. I had gone back to school at Liberty University and received a Certificate in Pastoral Counseling. But what would I do with it? We agreed celebrated our first anniversary hosting Celebrate Recovery in September of 2022.

the most sensible thing to do was to seek Father Andrew’s guidance about how I could be useful to the church. To my amazement, Father Andrew made the following suggestions: 1. Start a Celebrate Recovery at Christchurch, 2.

Develop the Women’s Sunday School class, 3. Consider becoming a Deacon in the Anglican church – which would require me to take some seminary classes. He recommended the Certificate of Diaconal Studies at Trinity School for Ministry on-line program. 4. Work with another clergy member to organize the small groups at Christchurch.

After much prayer and discussion, Jack and I decided to say YES to all 4 suggestions. I enrolled in Trinity School for Ministry (Trinity) and am pleased to say I graduated last May. I started Celebrate Recovery with the help of many members of Christchurch, especially Father Alan Reid. We just While taking classes at Trinity, I started teaching the Women’s Sunday School, and due to the wonderful training at Trinity I am able to write a coherent Bible Study. The other activities I am involved in at Christchurch include leading the

Anglican’s For Life Chapter, serving as a lay reader/chalice bearer, as a lay Eucharistic Minister, prayer team member, and greeter.

It took me just over two years to finish my studies at Trinity which I believe have helped me to better understand the call to the Diaconate. In the

Anglican and Catholic churches, a

Deacon is an ordained member of the three offices of the clergy – Deacons,

Priests, and Bishops. I’m currently pursuing ordination to what Anglicans call the "Vocational Diaconate.” In the

Anglican tradition, men and women can be called to commit themselves to serving the world the way that

Stephen and his brethren do in

Acts 6 and the way that Phoebe is commended by Paul for so doing in

Romans 16. Vocational Deacons do not become Priests, but rather stay in this role of service for their earthly lives. I’m thrilled that God has called me to be a Deacon in His church and am in constant prayer as I continue through the process. I am what we call “Postulant for Holy Orders,” which means I have been approved by my local church, Christchurch, but still have a variety of tests and further interviews as my Bishop and I continue to discern this call.

A custom of Christchurch Montgomery is for Postulants to begin wearing the clerical collar with a black stripe down the middle to indicate that ordination has not yet taken place. Once ordained, the black strip is removed, and office is Deacon is recognized. Many people have asked me what a Deacon does? A Deacon is called to be a bridge between the church and the world. A Deacon relays the concerns of the world to the Bishop and the local church she serves so they can be effective in helping to meet

those needs. What a specific Deacon does depends on his own unique gifts and calling. Most Deacons though teach and serve others in some way.

In response to your question about pursuing the Diaconate as a woman, I know that some churches do not permit women to be ordained clergy. I understand that their thinking is based on the fact that none of the 12 Apostles were women, though it is clear that many women followed Jesus and were considered his disciples. This issue will probably be debated for many years to come. I think it is important to acknowledge that a ‘call’ to ministry is not the same thing as a ‘right’ to ministry. So far, my gender has not been a barrier to answering the call to the Diaconate. As for my age, I take great comfort that many of the heroes of the Bible were of an advanced age when God called them to do his will, most notably, Moses. Exodus 7:7 records that “Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.”

BOOM!: The challenge of learning to be a Deacon probably requires a great support system from family and friends, how has your husband Jack responded to your calling to be a Deacon? How have your children/grandchildren responded?

Dolly: My husband could not be more supportive of my call to the Diaconate. We discuss what I learned in each of my classes at Trinity and Jack even read many of my textbooks. He has fully supported forming a Celebrate Recovery (CR) at Christchurch and is over the CR supper and runs the kitchen. He has participated in all the CR training and will soon lead the Men’s Step Study in January 2023. Jack has reviewed all the documentation and materials I had to write for the Diaconate application, and he wrote a letter to the diocese on my behalf. He traveled with me recently to Tallahassee Florida for my meeting with the Diocesan Ordination Committee and though he was only required to meet with the panel of four priests for an hour, he enjoyed it so much he stayed for the full three-hour interview. My children have also been very supportive and have said that I am already doing the works of a Deacon and believe it is a natural fit for me. My grandchildren are too young now to understand the significance of it, but they think that Celebrate Recovery is “cool.”

BOOM!: With a busy life, how do you like to spend time with family and friends? Describe your experience as a grandmother? What do your grandkids call you and Jack?

Dolly: I am blessed to have friends from college that are still my dearest friends. Even though we are scattered all over the United States, we keep in touch, and it feels like when we are together, we have never been apart. I am also very blessed to have dear local friends through my church and we see each other often. Jack and I belong to a Covenant Group at Christchurch. We meet for dinner and Bible Study every other week. Our group has around 15 members and we rotate our homes and the food we each bring. This group is like my family and I deeply value each of their friendships. I have also made friendships over the years with many dear people I have known from either church or business.

Being a grandparent is a joy and delight. To see your child, have a child is like getting a glimpse into eternity. We are blessed with seven grandchildren and look forward to being a part of all their joys and sorrows. As to what our grandchildren call us, we decided to forgo any cutesy names and be simply Grand-momma and Granddaddy. One of our daughters, who was a teenager at the time, became embarrassed by the childish names given to her grandparents, we decided to spare our grandchildren any future embarrassment, though I think special grandparents’ names are charming and help to create a precious bond with the grandchildren.

BOOM!: What are some of your favorite travel experiences? Favorite vacation spot? Any travel dreams planned?

Dolly: My favorite travel experiences were the years I spent growing up in England, France, and Germany. I don’t have a favorite vacation spot, but I did really enjoy it when Jack and

I went to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands for our 25th anniversary. No travel dreams planned now, but I would love to go on one of Father Andrew’s trips to Israel and Uganda.

BOOM!: One of your passions is the ProLife Movement, saving babies. How have you been able to express this passion, organizations, etc.? What's the impact of overturning of Roe v Wade?

Dolly: I have been engaged in the pro-life movement for many years. I started as a volunteer counselor in a crisis-pregnancy center in Jackson, Mississippi. I then briefly served as a director of a crisis-pregnancy center in Manhattan, New York. When I moved back to Montgomery, I was a member of the Board of Directors at First Choice Women’s Medical Center and a volunteer counselor. I am currently on the Board of Directors of Life on Wheels. Life on Wheels is an organization that through the use of a mobile ultra-sound unit serves women, saves babies, and shares Jesus. At Christchurch I am the leader of our local chapter of Anglican’s for Life.

One impact of the recent Dobbs decision is that Life on Wheels and the local crisis-pregnancy centers are busier than ever. Women are still experiencing crisis pregnancies and will continue to need the support of the local front-line ministries. I always thought that if Roe

vs Wade were overturned the prolife community’s job would be over. But the reality is just the opposite. Women in Alabama have access to the abortion pill by mail, which when taken without medical supervision, could pose certain health risks. A small battle has been won in Alabama, but the war against life continues in the rest of the country. Now is not the time to become complacent.

BOOM!: How do you like to relax and wind down from a full day of activity?

Dolly: I have a new puppy, a Cavalier King Charles Poodle mix, named Mycroft (after Sherlock Holmes’s older brother). He loves to play, so we play, go on walks, and get to the Bark Park as often as possible. I like to read and watch BBC on Amazon Prime, especially the period shows. I enjoy going out to eat with friends, and being with family, especially the grandchildren. college or the workforce. Montgomery Public Schools have done a good job reducing the high-school drop-out rates. However, according to the September 20, 2022, Montgomery Advertiser.com article, Jemma Stephenson reported that just 22% of Montgomery county students were proficient in science, 32% were proficient in language arts, and only 9% were proficient in math. The implications

BOOM!: What is it about living in the Montgomery/River Region area that you like? What do we need more of?

Dolly: I think for a town of its size, Montgomery is doing a lot of things right, but I am quite concerned for the public school system. Our children deserve to graduate high school knowing their education will equip them to be able to fairly compete for entrance into Dolly: As I have aged, my priorities have certainly changed. I have learned to be more thankful and grateful for what I have, and who I am, which includes all my many mistakes and failings. God has used all those things to deepen my trust in his mercy, grace, and help. My heart’s prayer is for my children, and grandchildren that they will love and serve the Lord Jesus, and for the

Kingdom of God to come in their lives, and that his will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

of this failure are predictable and tragic, and Montgomery must rally to radically change how these schools operate. I don’t have any easy or quick solutions, but as an educator, I feel it is imperative that for Montgomery to thrive and grow, we must do something soon to change the educational status quo.

BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your priorities changed? How would you describe what it means to “age well”?

This may sound too philosophical, but I believe ageing well depends on a person’s worldview. A mature believer in Christ has an assurance that they are loved by God, their life has meaning, and they have the hope of eternal life with Christ. This hope is not founded in worldly success or achievement which can lead to pride and arrogance, or by a lack of success which can lead to anger, regret, shame, and despair. Rather, the mature believer seeks to finish his race in obedience to what has God has called him to do and be. Some people mellow with age, but others grow bitter. I prefer to mellow. The unknown writer of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament perfectly sums up ‘aging well’, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,

the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV). St. Paul said in his second letter to Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (NIV)

BOOM!: Give us three words that describe you?

Dolly: Doer, Learner, Helper.

BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or other activities that grab your attention? Dolly: I like gardening though I am not very knowledgeable about it or good at it. I have also done a lot of embroidery. I like decorating my home, though my style may be a bit quirky for some. BOOM!: In 2018, you were diagnosed with Advanced Heart Failure, would you share what that experience was like and how it impacts your life today? Dolly: In October 2017, I noticed I was having a lot of congestion and breathing problems. Over 5 months, 3 different doctors diagnosed me with pneumonia, or bronchitis or asthma, or allergies. Finally, I saw a doctor who sent me for an x-ray which revealed my heart was very swollen. An echocardiogram showed that only 10-15 percent of my blood was being pumped out of my heart. I was put on the A list for a heart transplant and was told I had Advanced Heart Failure. To go from thinking I had bronchitis, to learning I needed a new heart was a shock to say the least. Apparently, I had caught some kind of virus that attacked the electrical system in my heart. My doctors felt my best chance to live was to have a heart transplant, but first they wanted to implant a Left Ventricular Assist Device which is a mechanical pump that is implanted in the chest. The LVAD would keep me alive while I waited for a new heart. I decided I would go and be with the Lord rather than attempt that surgery. Perhaps if I had been much younger, I would have had the surgery. I begged the doctors for another solution. They agreed to try a pacemaker/ defibulator before committing to a heart transplant. My prognosis was not good. I was living with the knowledge my life would probably not last much longer. At times I felt paralyzed emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Thanks to my family and friends, consistent, regular prayers were sent to God on my behalf for over a year. For reasons only known to himself, God heard their prayers. My heart has now been pumping blood normally for the last 4 years. I only have to see my Cardiologist once a year. I believe God told me through all this, that he was not through with me yet, and I still had time to serve and praise him. During my year of recovery, I renovated

one or our bedrooms into a playroom/ bedroom for the grandchildren. It was great fun pulling out some of my old childhood toys and the toys of my own children. The theme of the playroom is based on the bedtime stories Jack used to tell our children. The fictional stories tell of the adventures our children had as they traveled around the world in a hot-air balloon. Our oldest daughter used one of the stories for a class project; our son did a painting of the hot-air balloon, and a family story-telling tradition was born. I used that theme by using many of the paintings my mother had done and created global vignettes within the playroom. It was a wonderful exercise in creativity which kept my mind off myself Jack, Dolly, Fr. Alan Reid at Celebrate Recovery and my health problems. BOOM!: What are your thoughts on retirement? Dolly: For most people, retirement is a luxury they cannot afford, especially in the current economy. For some, retirement can create an identity crisis, especially for us A type personalities. We have to be ‘doing’ something meaningful, which if properly channeled can bless others through productive volunteerism. My dear friend, Myra, has channeled her free time into a new project. She has become a writer and started a blog called Tranquil Living, Robyn Blessing, Dolly, and Dr. Matt Phillips, Life on Wheels and is now a speaker at various Christian women’s conferences. Check out Myra’s Blog at https:// tranquiliving.com Retirement can be a time of exploration, a time of trying new things. But it can also be a time of

great loneliness. Get off the couch, get involved in something, keep moving, meet new people! We need lots of volunteers at Celebrate Recovery, and so do many other organizations. Share your time, you never know, you may be the answer to someone’s prayers.

Would you like to be Santa this year for some very worthy non-profit organizations? Or volunteer? Here is a list of some of my favorite charities.

Celebrate Recovery @ Christchurch Anglican, 8800 Vaughn Road Montgomery AL 36117. Be sure to designate your gift to Celebrate Recovery, www. christchurchanglican.net/giving/. For more information about CR or how to get involved:

Life on Wheels, P. O. Box 240218 Montgomery, AL 36124,

380 Mendel Pkwy E, Montgomery, AL 36117, https://engage.suran.com/

Oxford House (Self-help for Sobriety Without Relapse) 217 N. Panama St. Montgomery, AL 36107. For more information:

We want to thank Dolly for sharing her life's story with us this month. If you’re inspired by Dolly’s story and would like to take some action and get involved, please review the info above and make a difference, in your life and the life of others. We hope you’ll share Dolly’s story with friends and family, they’ll enjoy the reading experience. Thanks to DiAnna Paulk and her creative photography skills, you're the best! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about our cover profiles, including nominating someone, please text them to Jim Watson at 334.324.3472 or email them to jim@riverregionboom.com.

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