SPIRITUALITY AS A LIVED EXPERIENCE

SPIRITUALITY AS A LIVED EXPERIENCE / 109
Fulfillment or self-realization that leads to regret and despair (e.g., Erikson, 1963; Wong, Reker,& Gesser, 1994; Yalom, 1980). Findings presented here suggest these women have a sense of fulfillment and self-realization; I attribute this totheir spirituality. This claim is supported in existing
Literature. Wink (2006) found that spirituality and religiousness served as a buffer for fear of death.
My participants narratives support compliment thes findings.
Lastly. My participancs also possess a strong sense of assuredness, meaning that they are
Comfortably dwelling in aplace of confidence regarding their spirituality and who they are as spiritual women. Additionally, these women have extensive inner strength that they openly rely
On when asked how they achieved extreme longevity. To suggest that they openly rely on when asked how they achieved extreme longevity. To suggest that they are merely surviving in late life
Is problematic; more accurately they are thriving. In terms of thriving, theyexhibit a solid sense of inner strength and have a spiritual center that has deepned with age. These findings support
And complemwnt the existing knowledge concerning the experiences of the oldest-old.
For example, Nygren et al. (2007)found that the very old have an inner strength that feeds
From the philosophy that “life goes on.” This theme suggests that their inner strength is the reason for openness and acceptance in late life. Additionally, Stanford (2006) fund that her female participans were resilient in late life and discovered that most of the thriving women
Had overcome major life challenges such as the untimely deaths of singnificant relatives, serious health challenges, and destructive marriages. My participants have paralleling occurrences, and their narratives suggest that their spirituality is a source of streng relied upon throughout these experiences.
This anaiysis examined narratives about how these women experienced their spirituality
Now and over the course of their lives. In addition, I investigated how these experiences of
Spiriences of spitrituality created opportunities for connection, served as sources of strength,
And provided pathways for thriving in advanced old ageaii of which were most salient for the participants. Essentially, I treated their spiritual experiences as an avenue for arriving at an understanding of how these women experienced spiritual development over the life course, and how their spiritual yields an assuredness and an integral part of their resilience.
The experiences of these women add to our understanding and knowledge concerning the
Spiritual lives of people as they age and in late life.While some of my findings support existing research on spirituality and aging, they alos offer depth of understanding inyo the
Individual lived experiences of spirituality, for women in the oldest-oldest segment of the
Poplation. My findings are consistent with various past research concerning spirituality and
Againg, but in addition suggest that a phenomenological approach or other qualitative
Methologies are essentital for discovering the intricacy regarding the interconnectedness of
Spirituality and aging (Blieszner&Ramsey).