Step 1 (Chapter 1): Accept the changes of aging, while understanding there is inherent dignity in the aging process.

Maggie Kuhn said, "Old age is strength and survivorship, a triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes, trials, and disappointments.

Step 4 (Chapter 4): Honor the complexities of your past experiences, forgive yourself and then others.

Marguerite's journey has been affected by significant grief and loss, especially the sudden death of her beloved son, Ron. Navigating loss is one of the greatest challenges in the later stages of life.

Step 7 (Chapter 7): Be confident that your Source of Wisdom will empower you with the strength and courage to fully embrace your present reality.

Fred Rogers, known to the world as Mister Rogers, used television to provide and teach unconditional love to his young viewers.

About MargueriteMarguerite Herrmann Sexton is the visionary founder of Journeys of the Heart, an independent, non-denominational ceremonial ministry established in 1996.After the death of her son, Ron Silberstein, in 2015, when she was 72, Marguerite created GriefWarrior: Life After Loss, a blog offering support and solidarity to
those experiencing the profound grief of losing a child. She later founded Moms Rising Together, a support group for grieving mothers.Marguerite and her husband, Tom, live at the Philadelphia Protestant Home (PPH), where she is an active community organizer. She has initiated programs including Indigenous Peoples Day and Get Out the Vote events.An associate of the Medical Mission Sisters in Fox Chase, Marguerite has a longstanding commitment to service and social justice. Several of the sisters live at PPH, and she advocates for them when they need their voices amplified.Above all, Marguerite believes we are born to live in joy. She creates community wherever she goes and rarely misses an opportunity to sing, dance or laugh. In her late seventies, during the COVID pandemic, and with the help of her son, Joe, she created a rap video of “Alexander Hamilton,” which can still be found on YouTubeMarguerite stays engaged with current events and is a social media influencer.

About PatriciaPatricia Herrmann Conroy is a writer, avid reader, birdwatcher, and lifelong observer of the world around her. Her writing often explores nature, family, friendship, and the experience of growing older with intention and curiosity.She shares her nature photography and reflections on her blog Birds’n’Words, where she hopes to offer a little tranquility in an often anxious world.Patricia is intentional about aging mindfully. She values an active lifestyle and can usually be found at the Phoenixville YMCA five mornings a week. She and her husband Paul do strength training three mornings, and Patricia joins about 25 vibrant women for water aerobics the other two mornings. To keep her mind active, she began piano lessons this past year and recently joined a small group of friends learning Mah Jongg.She is a member of Scribe Sisters, a Phoenixville-based women’s writing group, where she enjoys the friendship, encouragement, and inspiration of other writers.Patricia is a member of Abington Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. She and her husband, Paul, live in Phoenixville, PA.