Finding peace and purpose in a long life
Johann Christoph Arnold

Plough Publishing, 2013 £8.00 Pb 161pp, ISBN 9780874868982
Reviewed by Mark Cheesman, retired consultant geriatrician

This is a good book. It's written from both heart and head, and pastorally explores growing older and dying. It's far from gloomy, with lots of practicalities and some challenges. It's written very much from a Christian standpoint, but people with no faith would find it helpful too. It's not hard going at all, and warmly invites the reader to accept the gift of older age and use it and its gifts for Christ.

The value of community and family is discussed as the most natural way of living late in life: but the author is realistic about the difficulties there can be with that. There is sensitive exploration of dealing with regrets, and with increasing disability, briefly touching on mild cognitive impairment and depression. The emphasis is on keeping faith in the presence of limitation, and refusing over-medicalisation.

It is a book about late-life mindsets and living them out: it does not go into detail with difficult disability, and perhaps glosses over a little just how difficult life can become. But we are encouraged to continue to make new friendships, to get good at intercession, to live as an encouragement, and as an example in faith and holiness. And to have faith that broken things can be fixed, peace is findable, and that 'goodbye' can be a blessing and a benediction. Great stuff.