Nancy Rhine, MS, LMFT

02/11/2026

Jean Shinoda Bolen is such a wise crone. I highly recommend her books!

The psychological stages of maiden-mother-crone are no longer closely tied to age. The maiden phase can now be extended decades into the usual age when women formerly were expected to become mothers. I sometimes call the three phases “young woman, mature woman, and wise-woman” in order to make the point that a woman does not have to be a biological mother in the second phase, though she will make commitments and grow in maturity through nourishing them.

Most women enter the third phase of the wisewoman or crone only after they pull back from the concerns of the second phase and shift gears inwardly. But when women decide to have children late in their childbearing years or adopt them late, they are still very much involved in second-phase commitments. They are entering menopause with children in elementary school or as a child is entering adolescence, and may want to go inward just as more demands are made on them by others. Women who returned to college and graduate schools at midlife or made career shifts may be involved in new careers and menopausal at the same time.

I discuss this in the introduction to my book Goddesses in Older Women (page xii) to explore the below-the-surface shifts occurring in the psyche in this third phase of a woman’s life. During this time the crone goddess archetypes most naturally make themselves known and I offer you names, images, qualities, and stories- to bring them alive in your imagination and give you a vocabulary for what you may be experiencing.

Whatever phase you may be in (or overlapping), may you live it well.

Image by

02/11/2026

Here is a moving poem by my old friend Paul Mandelstein. Thanks, Paul.

The Great Adventure of Life

We walk a path all travelers take,
Through twilight fields where dreams awake.
Each step a prayer, each breath a song,
The rhythm of life still carries us along.

The wrinkles etched upon our skin,
Are maps of places we’ve boldly been.
The laughter lines, the tears we’ve shed,
The words we spoke, the silence we’ve fed.

Oh, what a ride! What tales to tell,
Of moments we soared and times we fell.
Grateful for the sun, the storms, the rain,
For every loss that taught us gain.

To those we’ve hurt, we bow our heads,
Regrets that linger, words unsaid.
In this sacred space, we make amends,
To heal the heart and honor friends.

Our bodies may tire, our pace may slow,
But our hearts still blaze, our spirits still glow.
With reverence, we embrace the years,
The laughter, the courage, the unspoken tears.

Aging’s not a foe—it’s a sacred guide,
“Come closer,” it whispers, “walk by my side.”
With every goodbye, a grace unfolds,
Each ending a story gently retold.

-Paul Mandelstein

11/27/2025

In my wintering era and it feels good.

11/11/2025

This is sooo powerful and important.

11/10/2025

10/20/2025

Creativity! And, necessity is the mother of invention! :)

People are living longer and rethinking how and where they want to live.

Denise Yarmlak, who is 69, single and didn’t want to live alone, bought a big house in Nevada with a friend. Franca Smith and Michael Marfia, both in their 80s and strangers until this year, share a Colorado condo. Trinidad Raya and his dad, 88, pooled resources to buy a newly-built multigenerational home. In California, the Burwens created a cohousing community on an acre of land.

About 75% of those 50 and older want to remain in their homes as they age, says Shannon Guzman, AARP’s senior director for housing and livable communities. But rising housing costs and upkeep, as well as health problems can make living in their home more difficult and many anticipate needing to move as a result. Some people have enough money, but travel often and want a housemate for oversight. Others want companionship.

“We need alternatives,” says Jennifer Molinsky of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

And people are coming up with them. About 990,000 older adults were living with unrelated housemates or roommates in 2023, which is up 8.8% since 2021, and more than double the number two decades ago, according to Harvard’s Joint Center.

Read more: https://on.wsj.com/3IWsDOi

10/17/2025

Some hospitals and hospices in the UK and Australia have introduced “Cuddle Beds”, that is special wider beds that let families lie beside their loved ones who are terminally ill. These beds bring comfort, warmth, and emotional closeness during the most difficult final moments of life.

Hospices like St Wilfrid’s and North Devon Hospice in the UK, and hospitals in Queensland and Western Australia, have already started using cuddle beds.

They allow partners, children, or even grandchildren to cuddle their loved ones safely while still giving nurses room to provide care. Many of these beds are donated through community support and charity foundations, showing how compassion and innovation can go hand in hand.

Families say these beds make a heartbreaking time a little more peaceful . helping patients feel loved and held until the very end. It’s a touching reminder that sometimes, love and presence are the best medicine of all.

10/08/2025

“Master, I’ve read so many books… but I’ve forgotten most of them. So what’s the point of reading?”

That was the question of a curious student to his Master. The Master didn’t answer. He just looked at him in silence.

A few days later, they were sitting by a river. Suddenly, the old man said:
“I’m thirsty. Bring me some water… but use that old strainer lying there on the ground.”

The student looked confused. It was a ridiculous request. How could anyone bring water in a strainer full of holes?

But he didn’t dare argue.

He picked up the strainer and tried.
Once. Twice. Over and over again…

He ran faster, angled it differently, even tried covering holes with his fingers. Nothing worked. He couldn’t hold a single drop.

Exhausted and frustrated, he dropped the strainer at the Master’s feet and said:
“I’m sorry. I failed. It was impossible.”

The Master looked at him kindly and said:
“You didn’t fail. Look at the strainer.”

The student glanced down… and noticed something.
The old, dark, dirty strainer was now shining clean. The water, though it never stayed, had washed it over and over until it gleamed.

💬 The Master continued:
“That’s what reading does. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember every detail. It doesn’t matter if the knowledge seems to slip through, like water through a strainer…

Because while you read, your mind is refreshed.
Your spirit is renewed.
Your ideas are oxygenated.
And even if you don’t notice it right away, you’re being transformed from the inside out.”

📖 That’s the true purpose of reading.
Not to fill your memory…
but to cleanse and enrich your soul.

💡Takeaway:
Reading isn’t to store knowledge, but to purify your mind.
Every page renews your spirit, even if it seems forgotten.
True transformation happens quietly, from within.

09/27/2025

Love Me While I’m Still Here

I don’t want flowers on my grave
or tears at my funeral.

I want your love while I’m still here.

Hold my hand.
Say the words.
Make the time.

Show me I matter to you—
not in eulogies,
but in everyday moments.

Because the hugs you give me now,
the laughter we share today,
mean more than any sorrow you’ll carry tomorrow.

Love me while I’m alive,
not when I’m just a memory.

Your love, right now,
is the most beautiful gift
you could ever give.

✍🏻By Worth Sharing pg

🎨Art Credit | The Love Quilt Project, Pinterest

09/13/2025

💡 Healing means learning to notice your reactions and giving yourself compassion in those moments.

Trauma isn’t who you are—it’s something you’ve been through. With awareness and love, you can break the cycle. 🕊️💜

09/11/2025

HUGE NEWS! The California Assembly just passed SB403, making medical aid in dying a permanent option for terminally ill Californians in a 47–11 bipartisan vote.

This victory belongs to our advocates. Thank you to everyone who testified, wrote letters, and shared your stories. You made this possible!

SB403 now moves to the Senate for a concurrence vote. The fight continues, but today we celebrate!

If you live in California or know someone who does, share this post. Every voice shows lawmakers how crucial this law is.

We’ll keep you updated as SB403 moves forward. Together, we can ensure Death with Dignity remains protected!