We are about to close out the year 2025. If you are reading this, then you are one of the fortunate ones still standing and are therefore truly blessed. We’ve been truly bombarded with a few knockdown punches this year, yet we’ve made it thus far, because we were knocked down, but not out. We’ve been faced with an unprecedented ugly display of the worst racism since Jim Crow from this new administration, which I believe has been the “bane” of our existence.
We’ve experienced personal and collective loss, we’ve gotten through personal illnesses, even had financial woes—Yet we still stand. We are blessed—it may sound trite, even a bit like a cliché; but just look around you and consider the alternative to whatever your life is now—and start counting.
Over this past year, through this column we’ve explored various topics that were designed to give us seasoned citizens a positive perspective on aging. We talked about aging in and of itself being a gift that allows us to give back, because of how much wisdom we have acquired. We encouraged society to change the way it sees us, and the media to not be so disparaging in the way it portrays senior women. We attempted to show society how much they missed when they write seniors off as no longer viable members of the community and minimize their value. Also, we reminded seniors to keep pursuing passions, because someone out here in the world needs what you have to give.
Renee P. Aldrich, out and about…
RENEE P. ALDRICH WITH DR. KATHY HUMPHREY, PRESIDENT OF CARLOW UNIVERSITY
RENEE P. ALDRICH, SECOND FROM RIGHT, WITH DEBBIE NORRELL, WINTER RAMOS AND MARTI WILLIAMS.
We told of how we can get through the horrific political situation we currently find ourselves in—as we watch the dismantling of systems that were created to make sure Black and brown people were treated equitably—by taking on the persona of weeds when they surround your house, get in your gardens and grass. Weeds refuse to die; they keep coming back no matter what weapons homeowners or gardeners use to rid the property of their annoying presence. They never give up their quest for life.
We explored the depth of wisdom, and heard from experts and thought-leaders like Maya Angelou, T.D. Jakes and John Henry Clark, all who talked about wisdom, what it looks and sounds like, and assured us that education can turn into wisdom if applied properly. Thus, another case for senior citizens to embrace aging as a place where wisdom lives.
It’s safe to say that when it is all said and done, we have learned that as the year ends, we should use the time to process all that has transpired in 2025. Connect it to what we have explored and learned. And then let’s claim our aging for the gift from God that it is. Showing us that we are still here for a reason. Let’s get busy, and get to it.
About the column
(Renee P. Aldrich began writing her “Spotlight on Seniors” monthly column in February 2025. Each month, Aldrich focuses on a specific topic that interests many African American seniors in the Pittsburgh region. We invite you to see any of the columns you may have missed by going online to newpittsburghcourier.com, then search for Renee P. Aldrich under “Contributors.”)
