The Enduring Human Spirit: Thought-Provoking Stories on Caring for Our Elders

The spirit within…that’s what is important. Our bodies and even our minds may fail us but, even so, we can grow stronger in spirit.

Charles Tindell writes about people — real people like Herman who sits outside in his wheelchair when storm warnings are given, hoping to see his first tornado before he turns eighty-nine.

He writes about Sid, sharp as a tack, who says very little but plays the piano for the other residents. When Sid’s wife dies on the day of their sixty-third wedding anniversary, Sid is back playing the piano two days later. The songs? "It Had To Be You…Wonderful You" and "I’ll Be Loving You Always."

Rev. Tindell asks us to ponder thought-provoking questions about the meaning of these lives (and the meaning of our own lives as we grow older). We have many questions to answer: How do we deal with our parents’ aging and our own aging? What keeps spirits alive and growing? What changes can caregivers make to provide better care in the current health care environment? How can we use the wisdom and experience of our elderly to make our world and their world better?

The stories in this book provide some of the answers.