Diorama:

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Members of Dunwoody Preservation Trust along with Tom Williams met to discuss the details of the carving, working to incorporate as many aspects of the history as possible. Williams sketched several versions of the planned carving, working with local historians, non-profit organizations, the City of Dunwoody and other experts. He began carving soon after the final sketch was approved in early 2022.

The Diorama begins with the indigenous people who lived in the area 8,000 years ago and continues through every stage of the community’s growth, including Dunwoody today. The carving includes iconic Dunwoody history. Images of the Roswell Railroad engine Buck, Carey

Anyone beyond age 70 will tell you that 10 years will slide past you faster than you think. You don’t want 2023 to 2033 to be your lost decade. It will be if you just drift through it. Craft a plan. Then monitor your plan and modify it as you go. Change it as you learn and life lessons force growth in wisdom and understanding. A financial plan is best couched within an overall life plan. Ask yourself, “Who am I and why am I here?”

People have a wide range of religious and non-religious beliefs as to why they are on this planet and of what is expected of them in terms of how one relates to others. Those who are not anchored by strong beliefs encompassing responsibility to self and others often are adrift, lacking purpose. That does not make for a happy life at any age. Answering key questions, knowing who you are and where you are going, can be the path to an energizing, purposeful, and happy existence, regardless of where you are in “the circle of life.”

From your early 20s up until you retire from your primary work life, you are busy. You’re often tired, and a twoweek vacation, if you can afford the time and expense, is welcome. Spousal responsibilities, raising children, maintaining a home, managing your career or running your own business, continuing education, caring for elderly

Spruill and his mule Shorty, the early Dunwoody school, Thompson’s store, Cheek-Spruill House and DonaldsonBannister Farm are included, just to name a few.

The Dunwoody Diorama will be completed, mounted and secured under the roof of the new barn, on the Chamblee Dunwoody Road-side of DonaldsonBannister Farm. It will be available for viewing whenever the city park and farm is open, 7 a.m. until sundown each day.

DPT is planning guided tours, brochures and a series of children’s books to tell the stories of the Dunwoody Diorama. They also plan to incorporate QR codes for self-guided tours and the use of augmented reality software to bring elements of the Diorama to life. DPT is planning a regional history museum, and the Diorama is an important component of the plan.

Jim and Melanie Williams have loved ones, can be energy draining and time consuming. But what happens when you’ve made it to retirement?

Once you retire, every day is a weekend day. You’re not even working from home. You are home, 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week, 8,760 hours a year. Suppose you sleep 8 hours a day and spend two hours daily on personal grooming and other necessities of life. That leaves you with another 5,110 hours to fill over the course of a year. Now what, pilgrim? What does your major life transition called retirement look like?

If you can answer the question as to why you are on this planet, that helps to bring meaning and purpose to your retirement journey. Megachurch pastor Rick Warren in 2002 wrote “The Purpose Driven Life” to help you answer the quintessential question, “What on earth am I here for?” Whether you are a religious person, a religious humanist, spiritual but not religious, a secular humanist, agnostic, an atheist, many retirees find energy and mentaland physical-health bolstering purpose in helping and serving others.

Writer Mitch Anthony, author of “The New Retirementality,” now in its fifth edition, asserts that in retirement you have to have enough money to sleep soundly at night, but you need a purpose to wake up to in the morning. Many retirees who are financially secure have a fear of being bored in retirement.

That bromide may help you answer the question, “Where am I going?” Aging is not one long vacation. There are everyday aches and pains, health dedicated countless hours to their vision of the Dunwoody Diorama. “This extraordinary and unique work of art will be an important educational tool and will be enjoyed by all for generations.” challenges, losses of loved ones and friends, caregiving and other responsibilities. But a purpose-driven life stems from the satisfaction of knowing that you loved others, you met their needs and did the right thing no matter the challenges. You ran a good race, fought a good fight. Remorse is a sad thing. It’s comforting to know that when your soul shuffles off this mortal coil, to paraphrase Shakespeare, an eternal reward awaits.

The craftsmanship of wood sculptor Tom Williams has made that vision come to life.

Private donations from members of the community and local non-profits have funded the Dunwoody Diorama project. Contact Noelle Ross, executive director DPT to contribute to this project at noelle@ dunwoodypt.org or 770-668-0401 or visit the website, dunwoodypreservationtrust. org/dunwoody-diorama/.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Sandy Springs. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

A sense of hope, of purpose, of meaning right up until the day you die, is the foundation for a happy life and rewarding retirement. It’s not the “secret to life” because it’s not a secret. Read the teachings of the Old Testament prophets contained in the books of Sirach and Wisdom. Authored thousands of years ago, some advice is timeless.

Happy and fulfilling retirement is far, far away from anything that the RealReal or more spurious sellers promise. In fact, most retirees quickly realize that they have too much stuff. Garage sale, anyone?

Lewis Walker, CFP®, is a life centered financial planning strategist with Capital Insight Group; 770441-3553; lewis@capitalinsightgrp. com. Securities & advisory services offered through The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc. (SFA). Lewis is a registered representative and investment adviser representative of SFA, otherwise unaffiliated with Capital Insight Group. He’s a Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).