Patsy Hatfield Lawson is a speaker and change expert. She can be reached at www.patsyhatfieldlawson.com.
Recent Stories
The decision no family wants to make
Like most kids with elderly parents who are no longer able to live independently, my husband and I find ourselves exploring the standard options of private care at home vs. assisted and skilled care facilities.
Uncle Ted: My personal monster
I hated Uncle Ted for most of my childhood. He was Aunt Emma's husband. They came to visit us at least one weekend every month or two.
Carl's Unforgettable Visit
Everyone saw it coming. Last year at our annual block party, Willard, our 84-year-old retired minister, appeared more fragile and in poor health. He and Grace lived four houses down the street from us. Although he had lost most of his hearing, they never missed a block party – but this year Willard was visibly old and tired.
Valentine's Day, according to Mama
I got the same lecture from Mama every year around Valentine's Day. It began like this: "Now there ain't no use in buying Valentine cards for all your friends at school. They cost good money; they are looked at only once; and I have to burn 'em up with the rest of the trash."
My 2012 'To Learn' List
My mother lived by many superstitions, but the one I remember most vividly was her belief that a man must be the first person to enter your house on New Year’s Day.
Holiday cooking and days gone by
Mama and Daddy came from large families. Daddy had seven brothers and sisters, and Mama had nine. When added together, I ended up with sixteen uncles and aunts. By the time all of these uncles and aunts had children, I had more cousins than I could count.
Most Senior Care Facilities More Enlightened on Adulthood Sexuality
Recently I have interviewed a number of assisted living directors and staff from a variety of assisted living and skilled care facilities on the topic of late adulthood sexuality among their residents. My reason for doing this was to help develop training programs on late adulthood sexuality for the staff of these facilities. Working on this topic for the last 10 years I have seen big changes take place in this area.
Uncle Garrett's Decision
Growing up in a fish bowl was not what I chose; it was what happened at the time I arrived on the scene. My parents were older, my uncles and aunts were older, and my three brothers were off at college.
