Con artists adapt their tactics to pull on people’s heartstrings and loosen their purse strings. Complaints about bogus charities spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and unscrupulous solicitations surge during wars, hurricanes, other disasters... and holidays.

A great thing about living in Northeast Ohio is the many parks and trails that make for beautiful settings for walks throughout much of the year. As we move into late fall and early winter with its cold — sometimes bitter — weather, those trails can become icy and dangerous.   The good news is that exercise can be moved inside.

It’s taken me nearly 50 years to return to a gym. My husband and I recently joined a fitness center so we wouldn’t spend winter evenings pre-napping in front of the TV before heading to bed. There may be worse reasons for joining a gym, but I haven’t heard them.

The cardboard boxes, rumpled cartons and plastic containers have handwritten descriptions of the onetime-treasures inside. Ornaments. Nativity sets. Santas. Volunteers with Donna’s Christmas Trees may know what’s inside the donated boxes, but they’ll never know the memories that were once attached to them by someone at some time. They only know — hope —  those same items can make new memories for families in need this year. The Lake County nonprofit is one of hundreds of small Northeast Ohio organizations that do big things with big hearts and little money.

Aging comes with uncertainty and challenges. As we help our parents or loved ones through a medical diagnosis, adjust to changes in their abilities or needs, and address finances or care, one issue can make the situation more challenging: siblings.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new ideas.” ~Marcel Proust