My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s.  Alzheimer's is a disease that destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.     

I understand there are different stages but I don’t know what stage my mother-in-law is in.  At 88-years-old, she can still get around although it’s obvious she is getting weaker.  She’s had several falls at the Assisted Living Facility but is too stubborn to use the walker provided.

Despite the fact that Nate (her son and my husband) and I visit her regularly, I don’t believe she has any idea who we are.  We are friendly faces that come to visit her.  We laugh with her and listen intently as she tells some of the same stories over and over and over again.  Her short term memory is shot but she can vividly describe things from her childhood. 

Today as we sat in the dining area, I kept looking at my husband and, somehow, felt his pain. Across from him sat the mother who raised him. But in many ways she was a complete stranger.  Yes, she was the mother he remembers working as a nurse, while maintaining the household.  She could bake the “best” biscuits and was meticulous about a clean house.  She was also a mother with a kind heart and spirit.  She was also the mother who uprooted her children from an alcoholic, philandering husband and moved them to a different location for a better life.  He owes her everything for her commitment to his upbringing.    

Even though he puts up a good front, I know it can’t be easy to watch his mother in this state of mind.  But she is still his mother and it’s obvious how much he loves her and has vowed to take care of her--- even if her other children refuse to help out.

Every day becomes precious when you’re affected by someone with Alzheimer’s.  Even though this is a Mother’s Day my mother-in-law won’t remember, it’s a day her son will never forget.

As a mother, I grieve for Mrs. Valerie Bell.  Her son, Sean Bell, was gunned down the night before his wedding by police who were later acquitted by a judge.  Police say they feared for their lives---which gave them the right to “shoot to kill” and they kept shooting until 50 bullets riddled her son’s body.

As a grandmother, I spend everyday thinking about my own grandson.  Despite the fact that he is an innocent toddler right now, he will soon grow up and be viewed in the same manner as the Sean Bell’s of the world.  What do I mean?  He is black and male and the odds will always be against him no matter how smart he is or how far he tries to succeed in life.

I believe Writer Tim Wise put it best when he said, “White people's lives, it seems, are always worth the benefit of the doubt. Black folks lives, especially those of black men, rarely are. Any false or sudden move, or any attempt to flee the scene because you have men pointing guns at you (who you can't even be sure are cops, seeing as how they're undercover and haven't announced their employment status), becomes a rationale, in the eyes of the law, to kill.

Wise ought to know.  He’s white.

Let’s face it, women want to be beautiful. However, many fail to realize that beauty begins on the inside and works its way out.      But how do you become beautiful on the inside? You will not discover the secret in magazines, talk shows, or reality TV.

Inner beauty is the result of God’s transforming power in the heart of a willing soul. He doesn’t simply cover up our flaws; He miraculously starts from scratch and makes us new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, (she) is a new creation,” Paul wrote, “the old is gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 2:5).

The best beauty treatment is by spending time with the makeover artist Himself…Jesus. God’s spa is always open and the price has already been paid by Jesus Himself. So what are we waiting for? I’ll see you there!

If Baby Boomers have so much money as it keeps being reported by various media sources,  why is it that so many of our children and grandchildren are living below poverty?

New Poverty Data released on Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates the number of children under 18 living BELOW poverty continues to climb---with 37 states showing an increase from 2000 to 2006. 

I guess it should come as no surprise that the southern states lead the way when it comes to rural children not having enough.  Even less of a surprise are the number one and two states which have the highest rates:  Mississippi and Louisiana.  In Mississippi, there are nearly 150,000 children living below the poverty line with an overall under 18 population of a little more than 421,000.  In Louisiana, there are more than 101,000 children living below poverty.  That number jumped significantly from 2006 when the total was 92,000.

In North Carolina, where I live, the number increased from 128,000 in 2006 to more than 157,000 in 2006.  In Ohio, where I used to live, the number of children living below poverty in 2006 was 128,000---up from 73,000 in 2000.

On the other side of the spectrum, Connecticut has the lowest poverty level among children under 18 with 5,993 but even that is significantly higher than the 2000 reported number of 2336. 

These are startling statistics!  How can this be?  Who is responsible for this?  Haven’t we figured out YET that the child poverty rate is widely used as an indicator of a child well-being since growing up in poverty often compromises the future health status and educational attainment of these young people?  Changes in child poverty signal important changes in a child’s quality of life and future outcomes.

What are we baby boomers---especially the really rich ones--- spending our money on if we’re not spending it on our kids and grandkids?  Oh, maybe we’re spending it on vacations, RV’s and other frivolous things so we can get away from them.   How sad.

In a recent article by the New York Times, it was announced that Ann Taylor is going to take a stab at designing a clothing line specifically for baby boomer women.  That would be for women like ME.

Forth & Towne (a division of Gap, Inc.) tried it a couple of years ago but failed miserably.  It was hard for me to associate the Gap with anything but jeans that I could NEVER fit. 

I don't understand what's so hard about coming up with a clothing line for boomer women. No, we're not trying to let it all hang out anymore but we're also not ready to be sent into the convent. We have come into our own and the clothes we wear should reflect that. We're classy, some of us are a little sassy and we're sophisticated. If we're in the boardroom, there's a certain type of look we should have with clothing material that won't have us sweating like pigs during a hot flash. 

We are not a "one-size/one-style fits all" generation; therefore the clothes should reflect that fact.  What may be appealing to a 60-year-old boomer may be way off the mark when it comes to trying to dress a 45-year-old.  Keep that in mind, Ms. Taylor.

The New York Times also indicated Boomers spend $43 billion a year on apparel.  So it would stand to reason that if Ann Taylor gets it right, she will be handsomely rewarded by the millions of baby boomer women who are eager to look good from head to toe....especially those of us who are Divas.

Who would’ve ever thought a few months ago that something called the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame would turn into what it is today?

I had the idea back in March after meeting Singer Natalie Cole at a Women’s Empowerment Convention.  I told her she would be one of my DIVAS on my website.  Then I started thinking of other women I’ve come in contact with, on and offline….women I have come to admire and respect.  Women in my age group who were on the move and doing what they could to make a difference personally and/or professionally. 

That was the birth of the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame.  I started out with a half dozen women.  It’s now turned into 47 with 12 celebrities.  Song-writer Carol Bayer Sager, Actresses Rene Russo and Linda Hamilton, Country Singer Trisha Yearwood and Sharon Osbourne are the latest to be included among the exclusive list of women who make up the Diva Web of Fame.  I anticipate 100 women before the end of the year.

Wow!  I have truly been blessed!!!  Just last year I got fired from my good-paying television news job for writing Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age.  I’m still struggling financially but oh, I am so much happier because I am truly pursuing my PASSION!

I’ve been saying it all along and now a national survey of sexual attitudes, behaviors and problems among older adults in the United States confirms it.  Data from the University of Chicago's National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), presented in the August 23, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that many men and women remain sexually active—participating in vaginal intercourse, oral sex and masturbation—well into their 70s and 80s.

Now this is the kind of survey I can appreciate.  Surely I didn’t think my baby boomer husband and his menopausal wife were in the very small minority of couples who are enjoying a healthy and active sex life. 

Today’s report also concluded that sexual activity was closely tied to overall health, which makes perfect sense.  Older adults who actively exercise and eat healthy have more energy to spare for things like foreplay and sex.

My thanks goes out to the University of Chicago's National Social Life, Health and Aging Project for conducting such a survey and reminding baby boomers like myself that sometimes all you need is some candlelight, a Luther Vandross CD, a Vitamin E capsule and the right attitude for a “Let’s Get it On” kind of night.

To read the entire report:  click here:  http://www.newswise.com:80/articles/view/532575/?sc=dwhn

A new poll released recently indicates more than half of menopausal women are settling for less sex.  Apparently, about a thousand women were surveyed for the study.  I don’t know how many women are currently in some phase of menopause but I would guess it’s at least a million.  If that’s the case, 1000 women is a very small fraction of the female menopausal population.  I might be inclined to believe the survey if the number of women surveyed were significantly higher. 

One thing I didn’t see addressed in the survey is what the women had to say about their relationships with their mates.  That is a key piece of information because if there isn’t a lot of happiness and support on the homefront, there definitely won’t be anything to sing about in the bedroom.  Another thing, what are their stress levels or other midlife drama issues that may be affecting their low sex drive?

I wish someone had asked for my opinion.  I would’ve been more than happy to tell them.  Personally, I'm not having any problems.  My husband makes me hotter than a hot flash!  Yes, I do experience vaginal dryness from time to time but I know there are remedies for that.  I’ve also learned over the years is sex and intimacy begin in the mind so if you convince yourself that you're not interested, over time you won't be.  My mind prefers to do a happy dance while my husband swings from the chandeliers.

To read the entire article, click here:       

http://sev.prnewswire.com:80/health-care-hospitals/20070817/NYF00517082007-1.html