Aging with Grace

Book by Burt Nordstrand, founder of COR Retreat

I did not plan on getting old. Yet, in December of 2025, I turned 87. For much of my life, I thought of aging as something that happened to others. I would look at people I called “old,” never imagining how quickly time would bring me to this very season. And then, all at once, I found myself standing here as an elder.

I know the science of aging—the ways the body slows, the memory shifts, and the senses change. But to live through it is different than reading about it. I feel it in small but unmistakable ways. I am no longer as strong, quick, or agile as I once was. After returning from a sailing trip in the Caribbean with my family, I realized that I could no longer hop in and out of the dinghy or easily spot the steps on the marina dock. My eyesight falters, and I now accept the steadying hand of a helper. My hearing sometimes turns conversation into fragments. These changes, once unimaginable, now shape my daily reality.

And yet, growing older has not been only about loss. It has been about learning to meet change with humility, courage, and gratitude. Every day I practice acceptance: of my body as it is, of the pace of life as it has become, of the truth that I am no longer who I was—and that
this, too, is a gift. Gratitude allows me to see what endures: the love of family, the joy of shared laughter, the beauty of the present moment.

This book, Aging with Grace, is both a reflection and an offering. It is the story of my own journey through the later chapters of life, but it is also a companion for anyone walking this path or loving someone who is. Aging is not simply about decline—it is about transformation. It is about learning to live gently with ourselves, to release what no longer serves us, and to embrace the wisdom, patience, and perspective that only time can bring.

I write not because I have all the answers, but because I am still learning. My hope is that these reflections will remind you, as they remind me, that aging can be approached not with fear, but with grace.