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A Dozen Ways To Defeat Lonliness

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distant relatives and old college friends. I chat with<br />

Senior Net members and make friends across the<br />

country. I resumed freelance writing and have also<br />

been published online. The first thing I do when<br />

I log on at six a.m. is write e-mail prayers. Soon<br />

after, my older son pops up on an Instant Message<br />

from Florida,” Larson explains.<br />

5<br />

Help Someone Who Needs Support<br />

“The capacity to care is the thing that gives<br />

life its greatest significance,” wrote musician<br />

Pablo Casals. Those who volunteer their time live<br />

longer and happier lives. Acting on compassion<br />

and kindness brings fulfillment, joy and purpose,<br />

as well as validating our self-worth along with<br />

that of others. And, by responding to the needs<br />

of others, you will allow love into your own life.<br />

Consider the example of Ches Hudel who was 31<br />

when her husband and nine-year-old son died in<br />

an automobile accident four decades earlier. She<br />

was left to raise three daughters, the youngest<br />

was just over a year old. <strong>To</strong>day, in her 70s, she has<br />

looked back at her journey through grief. She says<br />

that reaching out to others was therapeutic and cut<br />

down her own loneliness.<br />

Mrs. Hudel began volunteering at a children’s<br />

medical center, working with kids who had cystic<br />

7

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