More than any other time in my life I find there is a deep connection with woman my age. Maybe that is because all of the less important things in life have fallen away and we are left to deal with the real issues. Many of us share the responsibility of caring for an aged parent. Many of us are survivors of various illnesses and life's adversities. Is it the tough times that unite us? I think that it is.

We may find ourselves on opposites sides politically but when the topic turns to breast cancer or the loss of a loved one we are sisters. By the time we have reached our 40's, 50's, etc. we know the pain of watching our mother or father's health decline and many of us have buried a parent. That is a kind of knowing that cannot be taught or even explained. It has to be experienced.

Whether you have children or grandchildren or nieces or nephews you have come to a point in your life where you can see the world through their eyes and fall in love with the world all over again. It is a slowing down of the madness to rush through life. We take a collective breath and pull in the beauty of the simple things.

I know that I'm not the same person in my 50's that I was in my 30's. I like this stage of life far better. The people I have lost to cancer and Alzheimer's and suicide left holes in my life and yet something grew where the pain had torn the fabric of my life apart. Strength and the ability to keep going grew in the sorrow.

As I look at the future I see it differently than I did in my younger years. Gone are the ambitions to live in an exotic place or work more than play. The field is leveled and I have found balance. The wisdom of the baby boomer generation can be found in the highest places in our society and in the lowest. They reach out to those who are struggling because we have known struggle. We aspire to be the best we can be because we know what really matters and what doesn't.