Even though Jan Silvious titled her book, Courage for the Unknown Season, we know what that season is-the season of aging and its inevitable, relentless progression toward death. We’ve seen it, some of us are already in it, and it can be a scary place, with many unknowns other than the end.
Jan refuses to let aging intimidate her, and wrote this book to help others take on our fear of aging, loss, illness, disability, and death with confidence and hope. She starts out the book with a chapter titled “Resilience”, followed soon by “Fight Fear”. She advises us “Don’t Forget to Laugh”, and to “Clean Up after Yourself”- deal with our personal possessions so our family doesn’t have to when we are gone. She takes us by the hand, without mincing words about the pain we experience with loss, and walks us through steps to navigate “Grief and Hope”.
Jan uses examples from her life, her family, friends, and colleagues of using our later years to cherish old memories while continuing to make new ones. She doesn’t try to convince us that aging isn’t painful, but encourages us to find new ways to find joy and fulfillment when the old ways are no longer possible.
Written especially for Baby Boomers-those of us born between 1946 and 1964- Courage for the Unknown Season offers sound advice and encouragement to anyone who wants to be prepared for aging, either for oneself or for a loved one. For those younger, you may want to read it now, but stow away a copy for 10, 20, 30 or more years when you will understand its wisdom even more.