My son texted, “Cancel dinner,” but when I got to the restaurant, I found them eating secretly without me, and I was paying. I didn’t yell. I smiled, asked the manager for a minute, and brought out a “surprise” that made all the plates stop in mid-air.

Mornings in Blue Springs always start the same way. I wake up at first light when most of my neighbors are still asleep. At 78, one appreciates each new day as a gift.

To be honest, though, some days are more like an ordeal—especially when my joints ache so badly that even walking to the bathroom becomes a feat.

My little …