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Mountain View News Saturday, December 28, 2024

FREE ASSISTED LIVING PLACEMENT SERVICE

 

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SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS*

Maria Decker, Nancy Dorn, Prudence Levine, Pat Karamitros, Joan 
Hufnagel, Mary Alice Cervera, Carol Horejsi, Helen Reese, Levon 
Yapoujian, Toni Buckner, Lottie Bugl, Sheila Wohler, Nan Murphy, Eleanor 
Hensel, Sylvia Curl, Elizabeth Levie, Gayle Licher, Cindy Barran, Melissa 
Stute, Hanna Jungbauer, Sheila Woehler. 

 * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 
626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required 


THE SECRET TO FEELING BETTER AND ACHIEVING MORE IN 
2025: SLEEP!


Are you looking to feel better, boost your performance, and 
shed a few pounds in 2025? It might be time to focus on something 
simple but powerful: sleep.

Sleep deprivation is more common than you might think. According 
to neuroscientist Dr. Claudia Aguirre, 30% of adults 
and a staggering 66% of teens are regularly sleep-deprived. 
Beyond the grogginess, sleeplessness is linked to inflammation, 
high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and even heart 
disease, which all raise the risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Here’s a lesser-known bonus: quality sleep can make losing 
weight easier. It’s easier to resist late-night cravings and maintain 
healthy habits when well-rested.

So, how can you improve your sleep and reap these benefits? 
Here are some simple tips:

Create a wind-down routine: Prepare your body for rest by making bedtime enjoyable and relaxing.

Ditch the tech: Keep screens out of the bedroom to avoid overstimulation.

Set the mood: Lower the lights, add calming scents like lavender, and ensure your room is cool and 
cozy.

Be mindful of food and drink: Stop eating at least four hours before bed, and consider sipping herbal 
tea.

If you want to take things further, try adding mindfulness or meditation to your evening routine or 
regulate the humidity in your bedroom to ensure it’s comfortable for sleep.

The bottom line? Prioritize quality sleep, and you’ll see improvements in your energy, health, and 
weight.

Let’s make 2025 the year of feeling and performing our best—starting with a good night’s sleep!

Coach Lori

Lori A. Harris is a former trial lawyer and an award-winning coach. She helps good people do incredible 
things. Learn more about her at loriaharris.com.

Lori A. Harris


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

AND THEN IT ALL CAME TO AN END

Time has a way of getting ahead of me. Just when I think I’ve caught 
up, I find out I was wrong.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were sitting down, relaxing 
after a wonderful Christmas activity with all the kids, grandkids, 
and great-grandkids. It was a wonderful time, but with my age, I ran 
out of steam very quickly. Once upon a time, I had enough steam to do just about 
anything. Now, that seems to have evaporated.

This year's Christmas celebration was a wonderful time, and as we sat around the 
table, I noticed that the people around us were a lot older than they were a year ago.

I was not going to tell anybody; I would just let them find out for themselves that they 
were getting old.

My bathroom mirror tells me every morning that I am an old goat and older than 
yesterday’s goat. I could not help but reflect back when I was a teenager and we had 
family get-togethers, and looking around grandma's table, everybody seemed to be 
rather young. That isn't the case anymore.

Looking at me with a smirk, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage said, "Well, I 
guess this year's over." Then she let out one of her patented laughs

As always, she was right. This year will be over in a few days, and I can tuck it into 
bed and let it go to sleep. It seems strange that when I'm getting used to something, 
it's over before I know it. Things go by so quickly these days.

As a young teenager, I just couldn't wait until I was 16 to get my driver's license. It 
took me four and a half years to get to the point where I was old enough. It seemed 
like an eternity.

Looking back, I have had my driver's license for over 50 years, and I'm not sure how 
much time has passed. I can remember wanting my driver's license, and now, all of a 
sudden, all of that is over.

I remember when I was teaching teenagers in our church, and often told them when 
they visited their grandmother, asked her to show her wedding picture. 

Then compare that picture with what she looks like today. I wasn't finished. Then, 
look at your picture and just remember that one day you just might be as old as your 
grandmother.

Why is it that when you're young and have energy, things don't go very fast, no matter 
how hard you try? However, the older you get the faster things seem to go. I guess I'll 
never figure that one out.

Then The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage mentioned the unmentionable, "So, 
have you worked on your New Year's resolutions yet?" That's the one question I don't 
want to hear. When she brought that up, I looked back at her, smiled and said, "On 
the top of my list is that I will only eat one Apple Fritter at a time." She did not laugh 
at that one. When I was done chuckling, I looked at her and said, "Okay, have you 
made your New Year's resolution list yet?"

Then she began with her list, which was almost infinity. She had so many things that 
she wanted to get done in the next year that I got tired of listening to them. I did know 
that if she made a list of something, you can bet your bottom dollar that she's going to 
complete every one of them. That's what made me a little alarmed. I won't challenge 
that kind of thing with her. Whatever she wants to do, she can do it with my blessing.

Of course, there is the idea that if she's as busy as that list suggests she might be, I 
could sneak in an Apple Fritter occasionally without her knowing it. Now I’m smiling.

We were reflecting on what a great year we had. Sure, there were some bumps along 
the way. Despite those things, we had an excellent year together. This year, we celebrated 
our 54th Christmas together. I can't believe it's been that long.

With a very curious look in her eyes, she looked at me and said, "Out of all those 
Christmases that we had together, which one would you think is your best Christmas?"

I learned a lot from my father, so I responded, "Oh, my dear. My best Christmas is the 
one we're celebrating right now."

You can get in trouble by saying something like that. Sure, we've had Christmases 
all the way back to 1970, and most of them I don't remember, so I believe the best 
Christmas I've ever had is the one I'm enjoying now.

Coming to the end of a year and the beginning of a new year, I couldn’t help but think 
of a verse in the Bible.

Solomon wrote many years ago, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; 
and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under 
the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

My experience is that the older I get the less things change. As a young person, I always 
hoped things would change and get better. Sometimes they did, but more often 
than not, things remain the same.

The only change in my life was when I surrendered my life unto the Lord Jesus Christ 
as my Saviour.

HOW LONG TO KEEP TAX RECORDS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS


Dear Savvy Senior:

Is there a rule of thumb on how long someone should 
keep their old financial paperwork? I have file cabinets 
full of old receipts, bank and brokerage statements, 
tax returns and more that I would like to toss.

Recently Retired

Dear Recently:

It’s a great question. As we get older and our financial life gets more complicated, it’s difficult to 
know how long to keep old financial records and paperwork and when it’s safe to get rid of them. 
Some things you’ll need to hold on to for your whole life and others for just a month or so. Here’s 
a checklist I’ve created that can help you determine what to save and what you can throw away.

Keep One Month

ATM receipts and bank-deposit slips, as soon as you match them up with your monthly statement.

Credit card receipts after you get your statement, unless you might return the item or need proof 
of purchase for a warranty.

Credit card statements that do not have a tax-related expense on them.

Utility bills when the following month’s bill arrives showing that your prior payment was received. 
If you wish to track utility usage over time, you may want to keep them for a year, or if you deduct 
a home office on your taxes keep them for seven years.

To avoid identity theft, be sure you shred anything you throw away that contains your personal or 
financial information.

Keep One Year

Paycheck stubs until you get your W-2 in January to check its accuracy.

Bank statements (savings and checking account) to confirm your 1099s.

Brokerage, 401(k), IRA and other investment statements until you get your annual summary (keep 
longer for tax purposes if they show a gain or loss).

Receipts for health care bills in case you qualify for a medical deduction.

Keep Seven Years

Supporting documents for your taxes, including W-2s, 1099s, and receipts or canceled checks that 
substantiate deductions. The IRS usually has up to three years after you file to audit you but may 
look back up to six years if it suspects you substantially underreported income or committed fraud.

Keep Indefinitely

Tax returns with proof of filing and payment. You should keep these for at least seven years, but 
many people keep them forever because they provide a record of your financial history.

IRS forms that you filed when making nondeductible contributions to a traditional IRA or a Roth 
conversion.

Retirement and brokerage account annual statements as long as you hold those investments.

Defined-benefit pension plan documents.

Savings bonds until redeemed.

Loan documents until the loan is paid off.

Vehicle titles and registration information as long as you own the car, boat, truck, or other vehicle.

Insurance policies as long as you have them.

Warranties or receipts for big-ticket purchases for as long as you own the item, to support warranty 
and insurance claims.

Keep Forever

Personal and family records like birth certificates, marriage license, divorce papers, Social Security 
cards, military discharge papers and estate-planning documents including a power of attorney, 
will, trust and advanced directive. Keep these in a fireproof safe or safe-deposit box.

Reduce Your Paper

To reduce your paper clutter, consider digitizing your documents by scanning them and converting 
them into PDF files so you can store them on your computer and back them up onto a cloud 
like Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud or iDrive.

You can also reduce your future paper load by switching to electronic statements and records 
whenever possible.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” 
book. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com