"Fabulous after Fifty™" is the Syndicated On-Line Weekly Column by Shirley W. Mitchell, a National Author/Writer/Syndicated Columnist/Speaker and Celebrity Radio Talk Show Host, also known as "The Golden Egg of Aging™" -  View some of the most inspirational and motivational articles on aging, baby boomers, seniors, senior lifestyles, health, diet, exercise, business, women's and men's issues, specific topic articles, poems, writings, recipes, area news, and special people. Shirley W. Mitchell's "Passion" for encouraging Aging people is both Contagious and Intense! We have the Ability to Change Aging History with our "Pulse" & "Faith". To Teach. To Educate. To Transform. If you enjoy the Articles posted here, you will certainly enjoy my Column Articles within  "Senior Lifestyle Magazine". "Fabulous after Fifty™" is fashioned after her "Lace Over Steel™" and "Fabulous after Fifty™" Weekly Newspaper Columns that appeared in the Sand Mountain Reporter of Albertville, Alabama. We want to thank the newspaper and all our readers for their support over the past 25+ years Ms. Mitchell's Column was printed. We inspire to bring more Style and Enthusiasm to it in the future.

Mar. 10, 1992

Mar. 10, 1992 - Spreading 'Good News' Is Attractive © by Shirley W. Mitchell, Lifestyles - Lace Over Steel™ I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John l0:10B KJV Spreading "Good News" makes one an attractive person. Dr. Kathryn Cramer in her book, Staying on Top, When Your World Turns Upside Down, gives her readers the knowledge that happiness does not come from circumstances and people, but from within. A happy person takes an inventory of the good and bad news, and is an expert at focusing on the good news. If you will follow Jesus through the new Testament you will notice this was His philosophy. Dr. Cramer gives good advice about the positive mental posture of a happy person. The successful person is a coach not a critic; an encourager not a discourager. She treats failure as a challenge not a threat. To "stay on top, when your world turns upside down", with your will turn down the volume of your inner voice of high self esteem. Focus on the good news! That He (Christ) would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. Ephesians 3:16 KJV

Mar. 24, 1992

Mar. 24, 1992 - Aging Is No Longer A Time In Life To Fear © by Shirley W. Mitchell, Lifestyles - Lace Over Steel™ A hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31 KJV I'm inviting my readers who have passed their 50th birthday to get excited about being strong enough to have outlived the villian of disease and accident. Aging is no longer considered time in life to avoid or fear. It is a natural growth process. How old would you be if you didn't know how many years you have lived? This is an important question or you to consider! Your answer will help you determine your quality of life. Dr. Kenneth Pelletier, an international expert on longevity and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University Medical School of California at San Franisco agrees that the "Aging Setpoint" sets the stage for how you live your life. Most people who think 40 is middle-age usually live to be 70 or 80. While people who behave as if 65 is middle-age often live to be 100. Almost a self-fulfilling prophesy. Lets you and I set our mind at 35 and keep going! Through all changes in our long life, we live it at 35 years old! With this positive mind set we an jump deeper into life with wild anticipation. Half the fun of doing anything is the anticipation! Why not search for the "Fountain of Youth"? Back through the pages of time the "placebo effect" of the search for the "Fountain of Youth" has caused a positive mind set. It all happens between the ears. One role model who lived her life abundantly even though her life was not easy, is the late Helen Keller. If anyone had an excuse to sit and do nothing with her life, complain, and become old, it was Helen Keller. Yet she wrote, "Join the great company of those who make the barren places of life fruitful with kindness. Carry a vision of heaven in your heart, and you shall make your name, your college, the world, correspond to that vision. Your success and happiness lie in you. External conditions are the accidents of life, it's outer wrappings. The great enduring realities are love and service. Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulty. (used by permission - The Speaker's Sourcebook, by Glenn Van Ekeren, 1988) Looking at Helen Keller's life, we realize older can be better. Like superior wine, God's Beautiful mature women mellow and refine with age. Experience brings with it a deeper much more interesting beauty. It's unique beauty combining body, soul and spirit. To kindle a spirit of hope, program your mind, right now, your "Aging Set Point". (35 or whatever your best age and keep going, full speed ahead.)

Apr. 7, 1992

Apr. 7, 1992 - The Top Of Life Is A Vibrant Note © by Shirley W. Mitchell, Lifestyles - Lace Over Steel™ Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the scat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he (she) shall be Like a tree planted by the rivers of wa ter tha t bringeth forth fruit in his season; His (her) Leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he (she) doeth shall prosper. Psalms 1:1, 2, 3 KJV This is the best time in history to be 50 years or beyond. The aging process is slowing down. Many older people are enjoying much greater health than the past generations. The top of life is becoming an unforgettable vibrant note. Come! Ride with me the crest of the "Age Wave" into the beach of longevity and change. Dr. Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., in his book Age Wave gives his readers a great ride on the "Age Wave". As the 20th century comes to an end, and the 21st century pops it's head over the horizon, the largest segment of our society will be over 50, with better health and more zeal for life. What caused the "Age Wave"? 1) The "Baby Boomers" - the 17 million more people born between 1946 and 1864; 2) The "Birth Dearth" - fewer children are being born in the United States; 3) The "Senior Boom" - people over 50 are living longer, healthier more productive lives than ever before in history. As we examine the large wave of "Baby Boomers" we come to the conclusion that the euphoria sparked by the World War II victory, laid the emotional foundation for the "Baby Boom". The eager elders, older population, will crowd upward as we reach 1994, when the oldest "boomers" will arrive at 50 years of age. Americans will experience the passion and power of the midlife years! In an interview with my friend, Carolyn Miller, National Baptist Women's Missionary Union President, I learned that women over 50 are responsible for a large percent of the wealth of our nation. This missionary minded, over 50 Christian woman has a burning desire for these influential mature women to catch a  missionary vision of helping people and become one of President Bush's "thousand points of light." Older women will make a vital difference in the future "Age Wave." As the "Age-Wave" splashes on the shores of reality, the markets will change. As consumers, who are fighting the onslaught of middle age, the largest section of society will be shopping for 1.) tasty and healthy food; 2.) fitness products; 3.) trendy and comfortable fashions; 4.) the most efficient financial community; 5.) Products for cocooning; (life revolving around family, friends, and home). As the vast number of consumers face the milestone of their journey beyond youth, more will crop up with "Boomerbilia". Of course hot items will be Barbie and Ken dolls; GI Joe and all his equipment; monopoly games; and Kenner "Give a show projector". This is the prime time for striking 50-plus women. Let me tell you about this new breed of women. Many will become highly visible during the 90'S! Elizabeth Dole, head of the American Red Cross, certainly shatters the stereotype of old, non productive women. She exemplifies the older wonen who can move mountains quietly. A real giant! She is a workhorse who is dedicated, motivated, articulate and highly efficient. She has a sense of glamour, and a genteel but classic manner. Anticipating the year 2,000, women over 50 can take heart, with Elizabeth Dole as our role model, that the best is yet to come!

Oct. 6, 1992

Oct. 6, 1992 - Time Power Is Being God's Woman, In God's Place, In God's Timing © by Shirley W. Mitchell, Lifestyles - Lace Over Steel™ Today is a day we have never experienced and will never experience again! Talmage said, "It rose from the great ocean of eternity, and again sinks into its unfathomable depths." Life is more than hum-drum routine, and daily existence. Life is more than material and physical pleasure. Life at it's best is sensitivity and awareness of God, nature, and other people. Vitality and hope are fruits of real life! Building... For yesterday is but a Dream. And tomorrow is only a Vision. But To-Day, well lived, Makes every Yesterday A dream of Happiness, And every To-Morrow a Vision of Hope. "Leaves of Gold" Give God Time! "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5, 6 KJV To spend time in your "Prayer Closet" and wait upon the Lord of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for thy have been ever of old." Psalm 25:5, 6 KJV Time power is being God's woman in God's place in God's timing. Prayer and proper priorities equal personal power and personal productivity. How many times have you heard, "I don't have enough time!" All of us know time is important. As we zoom through the day in fast forward, the way we handle the time crunch determines the quality of our lives. Wise old King Solomon explained about time in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8... "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

Oct. 13, 1992

Oct. 13, 1992 - Jesus Lights Candle Of Hope In A Dark World © by Shirley W. Mitchell, Lifestyles - Lace Over Steel™ "...for God is love." I John 4:8 KJV Jesus lights a candle in the darkness of sin to permeate the air with a feeling of optimism and hope. When Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States, he awoke one morning while in a motel room to find a burglar going through his pockets. President Coolidge spoke to the burglar, "Please don't take my engraved watch chain!" He quietly asked the young man why he needed to steal. The burglar was a young college student who needed $32 to pay his hotel bill and get transportation back to the campus. President Coolidge loaned the young student $32 (however, he charged interest on the money), then helped the young student get past the FBI to get back in school. Just as President Coolidge gave this young student mercy, so God gives His children mercy. I John 4:8, ..."God is Love." Everyone has sinned many times, but God gives us mercy (compassion and forgiveness) and grace (benefits we don't deserve). We certainly don't deserve our salvation, and promise of eternal life, but he offers it to us freely. Jesus lights the candle of hope in a dark world.

Dec. 24, 1992

Dec. 24, 1992 - It Only Takes A Spark To Get A Fire Going © by Shirley W. Mitchell, Lifestyles - Lace Over Steel™ "It is a good thing to give I thanks unto the Lord." Psalms 92:1 KJV Happy Thanksgiving!   I am glad William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Colony, invited Indian chief Massosoit and his brother to join the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving feast. This first Thanksgiving set the stage for Americans in 1992 to set aside a day from our business to enjoy good food, family and turn our praise and thanksgiving to God. Failing to praise God may be one of the greatest neglects of Christians. Because, God inhabits the praise of His saints. Psalms 22:4 KJV Paul E. Billheimer, in his book, "Destined For The Throne," said, "Praise is the spark plug of faith." It only takes a spark to get a fire going. One such spark, is praying with the scripture. Prayer: "Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen." Psalms 72:18, 19 NIV One thing "Albertvillians" have to praise the Lord about is Macy's band choice for Alabama - The Albertville Aggie Band. We congratulate Albertville's outstanding marching band under the capable leadership of Mr. Stacy Goss and Mr. Bob Killian. Our hats will go off to all of you as you march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York! Out of praises come power, courage, intimacy with God, greater faith, strength, optimism and hope! This Thanksgiving, as the spark of praise starts a fire of hope in your heart, look up and love Him!

Shirley W. Mitchell is the Owner and Founder of Fabulous after Fifty™ - a Motivational, Inspirational and Educational Company located in Northern Alabama providing products and services related to Organizing and Conducting Educational Conferences, Classes, Symposiums, Seminars, Workshops, Speeches and Training Courses in the fields of Aging, Seniors, Senior Lifestyles, Health, Wellness, Nutrition, Generational Women and Men's Issues, Faith, Passion and Purpose, and Distribution of Materials including Multimedia Audio, Video, CD, DVD, Books, Newsletters, Journals, Magazines, Articles, Periodicals, Electronic Books, and other Written and Audio Publications. Ms. Mitchell and Fabulous after Fifty™ are managed and represented by Lighthouse Coastal Productions 466 Sardis Cutoff Road Sardis City, AL 35956. ***Copyright © and Trademark ™ Notice: 1967-2011 All Works, Venues and Content by Shirley W. Mitchell™ including "The Golden Egg of Aging™", "The Fabulous Author™", "Fabulous after 50®", "Fabulous after Fifty™", "Sensational after 60®", "Sensational after Sixty™", "Aging Outside the Box®", "Passionate Sparks™", "Spiritual Sparks for Busy Women™", "Lace Over Steel™", "Ageless Living™", "Endless Energy™", "Better Half of Life™", "Citrus Park™", "Crosstown Info™", "The Amazing System™" and "Aging with Glamour™"are © Copyright and ® Trademark protected*** No part of this Web-Site or Column may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Agent. If you would like to purchase copies of the articles, please send an E-Mail to us with your request. If you should encounter any problems with this Web-Site please E-Mail the Webmaster.