A Century Old Secret

Last week, the lady who taught the town English

 turned 100 years old...

Isn't she lovely?

The whole small town came out to celebrate its most beloved citizen. She was showered with cards and flowers from everyone from former students to the Governor of our state.


A resolution was read in her honor at the State House...
She was a bullet point in the pastor’s sermon on perseverance...
She even got a shout out from Willard Scott.

It was a week of festivities both large and small which ended with a DAR luncheon on Saturday and a church dinner on Sunday night. 

She must have been exhausted; I know I was. Ever the lady, though, she was far too gracious to show it. She just smiled and narrated her way through every last one.

Story after story.
Memory after memory.

She told how as a single young teacher, she was required to sing in the church choir. She couldn’t sing well at all, she said, so she chose to lip sinc and hide under a big floppy hat.

Which she then proceeded to model for us, cheeky grin included.

I don’t know what was more comical, the sight of her wearing the floppy hat or the fact that the Centenarian knew and used the term “lip sinc”.

It shouldn’t have surprised me, though. The woman is the poster child for the maxim, “You’re as young as you feel.” Naturally, when you reach that milestone one century mark with the vim and vigor of this lady, people ask one question.

What’s your secret?

It really wasn’t a secret, she said. She couldn’t take credit for the Providence of very good genes. After all, her own mother had lived to 105. What she did advise, though, was to make the most of any age by setting your heart on a positive attitude.

To both groups of people, she shared that treasured old verse from Philippians.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report. If there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, *dwell* on these things.

But to the DAR ladies alone, the lady who taught the town English added one more nugget of wisdom.

A little powder and a little paint

makes you look

like what you ain’t.

And she gave us the thumbs up.

Grand old ladies... Does anyone else think they ought to be considered a national treasure?