MSI Press Blog

Today’s mission: accompany my daughter to a new doctor’s appointment. I sat quietly, letting her self-advocate—because that’s what strong women do. I chimed in here and there with family history, but mostly, I was the silent sentinel beside her. Then came the intake question: “Is your mother still alive?” Excuse me? I look dead?? Was I too serene?  Did my quiet presence read as ghostly? Did I seem soporific? My daughter laughed. “She’s sitting right here beside me.” The assistant turned crimson. I straightened up, punched the air, and offered to do jumping jacks to prove my vitality. She stammered, “I’m so sorry—I thought you were sisters.” Well then. Grandma Ninja: 75. Daughter: 49. Apparently, we’re aging in formation. Message of the day: Let your daughters speak. Let your silence speak. And when needed—let your vitality kick . Also: work out. At any age. Dick Van Dyke is 100 and still works out at the gym three times a week. If he can do it, so can Grandma N...

  🧠 When Words Take the Scenic Route: Aging, Language, and the Gentle Art of Retrieval As I’ve grown older, I’ve noticed a subtle but persistent shift in how quickly I can summon certain words—especially names and everyday nouns. The knowledge hasn’t vanished; it’s still tucked safely in the archives. But the path to it has grown a little longer, like a familiar street that now has a few more stop signs. What used to be instantaneous—snapping to mind like a reflex—now takes a beat. Sometimes a few seconds. Occasionally, half a minute. It’s not alarming, just... different. And it turns out, it’s also completely normal. Cognitive research backs this up: while processing speed tends to slow with age, comprehension, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning often remain steady or even improve. Verbs and functional language—the linguistic glue of everyday conversation—are especially resilient. They’re used constantly, embedded in procedural memory, and rarely go missing. It’s the proper nouns,...

  Franciscan Ladies Lunch Out: from left - the author, Anne, Alice, and Barbara Three of us were a decade apart: Alice, Anne, and I; Barbara was a half-decade between Anne and Alice. Alice - even in her 90s was the renegade; Barbara was the dependable servant; Anne was the intellectual pusher; and I was the world traveler (some of our "out" meetings had to be scheduled around my irregular travel schedule).  We came together in an odd way. We were all Franciscans, and we met monthly for more than ten years for Franciscan Ladies' Night Out, until Alice who had reached her 90s, could not drive in the dark anymore. Then, we switched to Franciscan Ladies' Lunch Out. We always had plenty to talk about and always on the same wavelength. Just one of those lucky and blessed groupings where all of us could always rely on each of us for anything needed, but especially for maintaining sanity in a growingly crazy world as we approached the Covid months. These "out" exper...

  Today's back story is about the book,  Old and On Hold  by Bertha Cooper . From the publisher The story behind this book and 14 others like it share one important thing in common: they came out during the pandemic. Not only did they come out at that time, but they were planned as a set of books (by various MSI Press authors with special expertise related to various aspects of the pandemic). Bertha, who had earned the recognition as "best new voice in health and fitness" with her book, Women, We're Only Old Once , knew a lot about aging, and older folks were particularly hard hit by COVID at that time.  Many of the insights in the book are true even now. After all, many retirees get caught holding in place for many reasons, not just the pandemic. Some useful thoughts and insights shared in this book are true at any time. Book available at 25% discount with code FF25 at msipress.com/shop. Read more about Bertha and her books HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsl...

  Today's bestselling Kindle book is Women, We're Only Old Once  by Bertha Cooper. Book description: With over ten years of growing into an old woman with the help of her friends, Bertha Cooper knows whereof she writes. In this book you will learn that growing old is not the slow death of our personalities, our bodies, or our relevance to the world. Someday, it will happen, but not yet! Feel the wisdom below the years we've lived and the power that comes with making our own choices about our aging selves.  Women, We're Only Old Once  offers explanations for natural changes that occur while aging and transitions we must make as we age. Women can be relieved to learn that having less endurance or word-finding problems are not signs of disease. Women are empowered to put their energy and spirit where it counts on their journey in this important phase of life.   Awards Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards/Phoenix Award for Best New Voice in Health and Fitness W...

  REBIRTH “Unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God.” --Matthew 18: 3   I reached a milestone with my seventy-fifth birthday. I have now lived three-quarters of a century. My father died at the age of 46 of cancer. My four brothers and I held our breath when we reached that age. We did not exhale peacefully until that year passed. Our mother died in 2006 at age 84 of the exact same illness that claimed our father’s life—throat cancer. Cancer took my younger brother at age 57 years. My brothers and I talk about one day being victims of the “big C.” Destiny follows biology. As I am attaining elder status, I am acutely aware of my vulnerability. Recent research indicates that 46% of Americans 75 and older report having a disability. They have a significant medical problem or cognitive deficit, have difficulty hearing, seeing, walking, living independently, and so forth (Pew Research Center: July 24, 2023). Fortunately, I...