Aging Reflections | Ask Uncle Gary

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Eleven Months Later

Altadena, CA. Nearly a year after the Eaton Fire carved its way through the foothills, the town is still living in its shadow. Eleven months sounds like enough time for life to snap back into place, but for many families, the calendar doesn’t match reality. People are still scattered across borrowed bedrooms, spare couches, and motel rooms that were never meant to be home. Entire neighborhoods feel like they’re holding their breath.

Dec 30, 2025

Does anyone else feel this?

Dear Uncle Gary, I’m 59. A mother, a wife, a teacher. My life is steady, even lovely, two grown children finding their way, a marriage that still feels like home. I’ve lost people, yes. Parents. A sibling. But grief becomes a quiet companion at this age, doesn’t it? Today, though, today something cracked open. I was walking, nothing unusual, and the autumn leaves were turning gold, crimson, rust. And I just… cried. Not from sadness exactly. But from the sheer beauty of it. Fr