“I don’t know where I fit-in.” That is what she said to me, and I was in full agreement.
My friend and I were at a writer’s conference. We were the older women watching, with amazement, the younger women putting on the conference.
These younger women had children running beside them as they put the final touches into a conference they loved. We loved the conference too, as well as the women who held the vision for it in their heart and hands.
Walking the halls we would find other women in our age range whispering the same thing, “I don’t know were I fit in.” We wanted to help with the conference but were not sure what we could do. We had life experience that could smooth rough places for the younger women, but it was their conference. So we began to pray for the younger women.
But, a woman of wisdom knows, a word spoken in the right moment can be as beautiful and meaningful as golden apples in a silver bowl. A word loving spoken can give strength to those around and add a moment of peaceful pause to an otherwise busy life. 
For months following the conference I prayed about a place online for women over 50 to gather and find purpose and community. A place for celebrating each other as well as sitting beside each other to commiserate the painful places.
We are in the Biblical category of being the women who encourage the younger women and we would love to do that, but there were some issues blocking us. We were trying to help our own adult children into life. Some of the children were making us proud mommas, and other children were keeping us humbly on our knees.
Some women, as they moved their children out, were moving their parents in. Then there were women whose husbands had died or they were facing cancer. No one told us how to navigate this time in our lives.
When our mothers told us about becoming a woman and raging hormones, she didn’t finish the story about when the hormones slow and life seems lonely. It was probably because our mothers had not reached that age to know what to say. They had not experienced this yet, and did not have the wisdom to hand down to us. Sometimes, by the time we were old enough to have them tell us about getting older and how to stay joyful and positive, our mothers were gone.
Talking about hot flashing, expanding waistlines, aching joints and the way intimacy changes with time seemed to be a social faux pas. Yet we need to talk about it. We need to share wisdom and encouragement.
Lying on my bed one night, waiting for the hot flash to settle down and the freeze that follows to cool me off, I decided to ask God to open a place for such discussions. A place for women to pray for each other, to rally together to find purpose, and to share the wisdom they acquired from their life’s journey.
Thus, The Consilium was born – A safe online place for women to share their stories, their joys and their sorrows, and have others come around to share the joys and encourage when times are difficult.
Each Tuesday, women of The Consilium will post gifts of their wisdom. I hope you will join us and share some of your wisdom as well.
Click here to join The Consilium
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Diane this is such a beautiful post. I am a member on FB and tend to lurk a bit too much. Thank you for reminding me that I have a lot to offer – still. I just returned from a writer’s conference and my table was made up of young writers mostly. Whew, that felt a little odd. Like, you may have waited to get started a little too late in life. I’m glad you reminded me today, Nah 🙂 God’s still got a place for me. Blessings friend!
Hi Carmen! I’m so glad you stopped by. And, I noticed you joined The Consilium! God doesn’t take us home until the job we have to do is finish. We still have a lot to give over the age of fifty. So grab a cup of coffee and join in on the conversation with us. I’m looking forward to getting to know you!