Serene Karplus, Nederland. In younger years, as I said good-bye on the bus, either as the visitor ending a trip or to my departing guests, tears welled up. Parting was peppered with the fear of loss. Having lost over the past decade so many friends transitioned to wherever we go after this life, I recognize change as part of the bigger journey for each of us. I miss my senior friends who have moved away or moved on. But I can’t grieve. I have to just accept life on its terms.

Likewise, on a lesser scale, I must accept endings in the smaller world of my daily work. Writing at least 630 columns for this newspaper has been a labor of love. Given an opportunity to connect the nonprofit organization serving mountain older adults so dear to me with the readers of this local paper, I seized it. Neither our organization nor the newspaper could afford to pay for it back then, so I volunteered. Creating a space in print every week to honor the elders of our community and sharing information on topics of interest to all age adults was truly mission critical to our outreach.

Many weeks I lost sleep fretting over selecting a topic worthy of our readers’ time and awoke in a dream state composing the opening line. Writers know that a lot of time is invested in research, concept, or phrasing before we even begin to pound the keyboard. It is a rather thankless task, with very little feedback to know if anyone is out there reading or appreciating it. But the occasional kind email or in-person comment makes it all worthwhile. If any reader has improved one healthy habit, shared one tip, attended one event or activity, made one new friend, or been inspired by one story, then we have accomplished what we set out to achieve.

Our columns have focused mostly on concepts in alignment with our mission (nutrition, education, enhanced quality of life) or on providing a voice for senior perspectives in order to accomplish our vision of an intergenerational vibrant community. We have reported on healthy lifestyle choices and the prevention of disease, accommodating hearing and vision loss and many other medical concerns that affect us at all ages. Profiles introducing the stories of the folks we met along the way generated popular columns. Background information for events we planned to attend, such as an opera’s story, a slice of history, or a museum exhibit description enticed readers to experience cultural outings with friends. Our most glowing reviews flowed in after heartfelt and inspiring stories about local folks and about love.

Our organization, Nederland Area Seniors and Mountain Peak Life, is sad to lose the weekly connection we have enjoyed with you, our faithful readers of this column, for the past 12  1/3 years. With our column reduced to monthly (last Thursdays of each month), we will no longer be able to share so much information. As we gently transition to new leadership over the next several months, authorship may also shift.

We would love to see you at our meals and activities to stay fully connected. Please stay in touch with us between monthly columns by contacting us at 303-258-0799 or Admin@MountainPeakLife.org to sign up for our newsletter. Subscriptions by mail or email are both offered at no charge, thanks to those who donate to help with costs. 

I’m not going away, just the weekly column will now be monthly. I look forward to seeing everyone at all of our events, as I plan to continue participating in them. If you would like to stay in touch to learn about my future personal writing projects, please contact me at the above email address with the subject line of “Serene-Writing” and I will add you to my personal contacts. I sincerely hope to hear from you so that we may continue our pen-pal friendships via email or other means. 

With this column, I wish to express my deepest gratitude for your support over the years. Hugs to all of you, with warmest wishes that we will all continue to age well together in these beautiful mountains.

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All ages of adults are welcome at all events. Sign up for all meals and events at 303-258-0799. Meals are served at the Nederland Community Center. Please call two days ahead for lunch reservations (more for dinners and breakfasts if possible). Missed the deadline? Call anyway. Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free are accommodated on advance request. Please note that all age 60+ are welcome at meals regardless of ability to contribute financially.

(Originally published in the May 30, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)