NIAGARA, Wis. — Many of you are looking at the title of this week’s column and thinking, “I am well past the midpoint of my life, and now you are giving me a set of guidelines?” Or maybe your thought process goes more like, “At this point in my life, I could give you a list and it would have more than a few suggestions.” And, really, we have made it this far, do we really need a list?

Life gives us many teachers and moments in which to learn. Our parents are our first teachers who pass along lessons they have learned from both their parents and their own life experiences. We learn lots of lessons from teachers at school. We learn from siblings, from classmates and friends, from babysitters, and from neighbors. We learn from our bosses — both good and bad — and from people with whom we work. At some point, our children become our teachers. We learn from every experience, from every relationship, from life in general.

I recently ran across a list of rules to live by. Because none of us is ever too old to learn, I pass them on to you today. Read through them and see how they resonate. Have you already successfully attained the lesson or are there some you still need to tackle?

— Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

— Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

— Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

— When you say, “I love you,” mean it.

— When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.

— Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

— Believe in love at first sight.

— Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

— Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it’s the only way to live life completely.

— In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

— Don’t judge people by their relatives.

— Talk slowly but think quickly.

— When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

— Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

— When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

— Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

— Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

— When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

— Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

— Spend some time alone.

As you read through this list, you will probably notice it does not mention anything about religion or God; it doesn’t mention prayer or faith at all. I will be the first to admit that I am not, by nature, a religious person. I was not brought up having religion as part of my life or going to church regularly and, consequently, have not ever really felt comfortable in that setting. But, having been through some fairly tough situations in my life, I do have faith in a higher power or guiding force that has been there when I needed to find strength to pull through very difficult times.

I have had moments of grace — exactly twice in my life, during extremely challenging times when I have felt a sudden and all-encompassing feeling of peace. I knew in those moments that I was being comforted by a force greater than myself, and I knew I would be fine.

I came across the following thought about the power of prayer. Given the extraordinary times through which we are living, I share it with all of you. “God will do for you that which you cannot do for yourself, but if you can do it, God won’t do it for you.” So, if a prayer does not get answered as you had hoped, take heart. God is not ignoring you; He simply believes that you are strong enough and smart enough to take care of this one yourself. At these times, then, our focus needs to change to the steps needed to overcome the challenge on our own.

I leave you with that thought to ponder. Have a good week … and stay open to learning new things.

——

NURSING HOMES

The usual senior living activity calendars and senior center menus are not being published to avoid confusion. Due to the coronavirus and the vulnerability of the elderly population, daily life in the senior living facilities and senior centers has changed dramatically.

All living facilities have closed their doors to public visitation, and the activity calendars have been modified to allow for one-to-one room visits only and individualized activities to keep residents engaged and active as much as possible while remaining within the health and safety guidelines provided by state health experts.

Group games are being substituted with individualized activities that residents can do in their respective rooms. Staff are providing supplies as well as “overhead announcement bingo and trivia” games and “hallway games” that can be played in individual rooms or by sitting within individual room doorways.

YouTube and DVDs are being utilized to provide religious services. A big dose of gratitude and appreciation goes out to all senior care staff for their creativity, caring and perseverance through a difficult situation.

All senior centers also have been closed to any center-based activity. Until they reopen, no information is being published that talks about activities typically available at these centers. While some have reopened with limited seating, meals do continue to be delivered.

Some centers also are preparing meals to be picked up. Menus are printed below for those centers that are either preparing takeout or providing home-delivered meals. Questions can be directed to the individual centers at the numbers listed here.

SENIOR CENTERS

Alpha-Mastodon Center

906-875-3315

Amasa Center

906-822-7284

The Amasa Center is a curbside pick-up-only kitchen for now. Call ahead for Tuesdays through Thursdays. Menu for the week —

Tuesday: Chop suey, rice, Oriental vegetables and lettuce salad.

Wednesday: Barbecue pork on a bun, baked beans and bean salad.

Thursday: Pasties, mixed vegetables and coleslaw.

Note: All meals served with milk, bread and butter, fruit and dessert.

Breen Center

906-774-5110

Now open with limited seating from noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Menu for the week —

Monday: Shrimp scampi.

Tuesday: Chicken alfredo, noodles and corn.

Wednesday: Baked chicken, baked potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Thursday: Turkey and ham sub sandwich and tomato soup.

Note: All meals served with a choice of skim milk or juice and fruit.

Crystal Falls Center

Head cook: Lucy Korhonen

906-875-6709

Crystal Lake Center

Iron Mountain

906-239-0278

Home-delivered meals only. Menu for the week —

Monday: Beef stew, biscuit, side salad and dressing packet.

Tuesday: Stuffed green peppers, cauliflower, dinner roll and pudding.

Wednesday: Spaghetti with meatballs, corn and breadstick.

Thursday: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and California blend vegetables.

Friday: Sloppy Joe with bun, waxed beans and reduced sodium French fries.

Note: All meals served with a choice of skim milk, juice, or no beverage.

For more information, call Christine McMahon at 906-774-2256

Felch Center

906-246-3559

Now open with limited seating from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Menu for the week —

Monday: Country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy and carrots.

Tuesday: Lasagna, garlic bread and green beans.

Wednesday: Cheese and potato stew, bread and California blend vegetables.

Note: All meals served with skim milk or juice.

Aging and Disability Resource Center of Florence County, Wis.

715-528-4890

Director: Tiffany White

Home-delivered meals only. Menu for the week —

Monday: Hamburger stroganoff with mushrooms over noodles, spinach and fruit cocktail.

Tuesday: Ham and bean soup, cornbread, dark green salad and fruit.

Wednesday: Spaghetti and meatballs, hot spinach, garlic bread, fruit and birthday cake.

Thursday: Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, candied carrots and fruit.

Friday: Pork chops, baked potatoes, squash and applesauce.

Note: All meals served with whole grain bread and butter and milk.

Fence Center/Town Hall

715-336-2980

For meal reservations, call 855-528-2372

Same as ADRC menu, home-delivered only.

Florence Community Center/Town Hall

For meal reservations, call 715-528-4261

Same as ADRC menu, home-delivered only.

Tipler Town Hall

For meal reservations, call 715-674-2320

Same as ADRC menu, home-delivered only.

Hillcrest Senior Dining Center, Aurora

For meal reservations, call 715-589-4491

Same as ADRC menu, home-delivered only.

Hermansville Center

Coordinator: Pam Haluska

906-498-7735

Iron River Center

906-265-6134

Home-delivered meals only. Menu for the week –

Monday: Swedish meatballs, noodles and carrots.

Tuesday: Taco, refried beans and rice.

Wednesday: Ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and bread.

Thursday: Cheese ravioli, cauliflower, breadsticks and dessert.

Norway Center

Director: Michelle DeSimone

906-563-8716

The center will remain closed; however, takeout meals will be prepared for pick-up — those picking up must call ahead and wear a mask. Menu for the week —

Monday: Beef enchilada, rice, refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, fruit, juice and dessert.

Tuesday: Barbecue chicken, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, peas, fruit, juice and dessert.

Wednesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, fruit, juice and dessert.

Thursday: Spaghetti or polenta, broccoli, garlic bread, fruit, juice and dessert.

Sagola Center

906-542-3273

Now open with limited seating from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Menu for the week —

Tuesday: Stuffed green peppers, mixed vegetables, breadstick and fruit.

Wednesday: Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, broccoli and fruit.

Thursday: Chicken enchiladas, corn and fruit.

All meals served with fruit and choice of skim milk or juice.