Age Warrior

From hip replacement to learning new bird names, from grandparenting to losing your last dog, from retirement to thoughts of one’s legacy, from jury duty to forgetfulness, from getting rid of stuff to the mystery of the afterlife, this book takes the reader on the bittersweet journey of aging with grace and humor.

Valerie Schultz is a freelance writer, journalist, columnist for The Bakersfield Californian, and a contributing writer to the Jesuit publication America and the daily prayer book Give Us This Day. Her essays and short stories have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune, as well as in Catholic publications such as US Catholic, Commonweal, Human Development, and The National Catholic Reporter. Her first book, Closer: Essays on Marriage and Intimacy, was published by Ave Maria Press. Her award-winning book Overdue: A Dewey Decimal System of Grace, from Liturgical Press, is based on her work in a state prison library. Her latest book of essays, A Hill of Beans: The Grace of Everyday Troubles, also from Liturgical Press, was published in 2022. She and her husband Randy live in Portland, Oregon, and have four children and three grands.