Elara Thorne

As told to The Growing Home by Leah R. and edited lightly for clarity and flow. I remember standing in a narrow kitchen in Chicago, balancing two bowls of pasta while he made our friends laugh in the next room. From the outside, we looked solid. We had the right photos, the easy chemistry, the … Read more

This as-told-to essay was submitted by Alicia R. to The Growing Home and edited for clarity and flow. I retired at 66 from a mid-sized healthcare office in Oak Park, just outside Chicago. For years, I had pictured retirement as a soft landing. I would drink coffee slowly, walk to the farmers market on Lake … Read more