I am always delighted to meet someone who has been spiritual for decades. Perhaps it is because I spend a great deal of my time with younger folks. Even if a college-age student has been religious for quite a while, that still pales in comparison with an eighty or ninety-year old person who has “been at it” for decades. Most college-age students simply have not lived long enough to experience the serious ups and downs of life. On the other hand, if you have lived eighty years, chances are you have seen a great deal. I am intrigued to know how the old-timers manage to hang in there with their spiritual practices. What sustains them over the years? In my own Quaker tradition we talk about “dry places.” These are the times of the life of the spirit when nothing seems to be happening. We may spend time in prayer, but there seems to be no connection. We may meditate regularly, but to no real avail. We practice, but our spirits ...