Elder Abuse and Neglect are Rampant Even While Concealed I am currently concerned by a friend who is a victim of elder abuse in her own home and it’s breaking my heart that she is refusing help from me, as well as from a “neutral” person. She insists that there’s…

Who Are You Taking Down With You? Sooner or later, almost every one of us will draw a line in the sand that sprouts a sign essentially saying, “This far, and no more!” Whether it’s a spiteful in-law, a vigilante neighbor, a bullying co-worker, or a sneering, upper-crust woman-chaser, we…

Maybe We Should Just Rent a Front Loader and Be Done With It. Most of us probably aren’t downsizing for the fun of it. We’ve been forced into this backbreaking, stressful hassle by employers who forced us out of our remote jobs, and who now are begging us to go…

Hello, I want to introduce myself. @shirleyannparker.medium.com I was born in a small town in the south of England. That is to say, in the UK. I was raised there until my Dad hauled the family up to his home city in Yorkshire when I was in my teens.

Hard Times Bring Out The Best And The Worst (Updated to reflect current behaviors, previously published at www.shirleyannparker.com) People are basically good! It warms our hearts to see compassionate responses to disaster, whether it’s an individual’s personal tragedy or a crisis that’s citywide/statewide/nationwide, or worldwide. In the beginning hours, help…

And We’re No Exception, Even With The Passing of Time (Updated for current days. Originally published at www.shirleyannparker.com) Our nation is a form of refuge for over 336 million people and it, indeed, has its price. …

Because We Can’t Let Go (Updated from the previous version published at www.shirleyannparker.com) When someone asks how we’re doing, we frequently answer, “Oh, hangin’ in there.” We can’t go deeper without burdening the sometimes casual questioner, someone who is expecting us to say “Fine! How about you?” Even when the…

Yet Other People Won’t Help To my dying day, I will fight against those who inflict cruelty on others. It does not matter whether they have four legs or two. …

When The Ocean Lives, We Live One of the biggest heartaches for many people, myself included, has been the ongoing destruction of our environment. Yet there is hope! I’ll begin with a few words about destruction of our land before moving on to the massive pollution of our oceans. …