A Woman to Admire

     

       Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        Yesterday, my DH and I attended a birthday celebration for a dear friend. She’s 98. Yes, you read that right. 98! But one would never know that to look at her or talk to her. She doesn’t look 98. Not at all. She doesn’t act it either.

She is young at heart and she is stunning. Beyond beautiful. When we saw her yesterday, her hair and makeup were perfect and she was dressed to the nines and that wasn’t because it was her birthday. She dresses like this every day. She has a collection of hats that she wears whenever she goes out…and not just any hats…these are the wide-brimmed fashionable hats of a bygone era when women wore gloves and didn’t dare step out of their homes without looking their absolute best.

The woman has boundless energy, too. Her own personal fountain of youth, it would seem, hidden somewhere inside. I get tired just watching her! At this age, she is still very active in her community, attending chamber of commerce meetings to help small businesses grow (she was a small business owner at one time), traveling to visit her children and grandchildren (and yes, great grandchildren), posts twice a day (at least) on Facebook (always uplifting, inspirational messages—she calls her Facebook friends ‘her peeps’, which is adorable. She’s adorable!), reaches out to those who need help, and volunteers with hospice and one of the local mental health agencies here.

This is a woman who has lived and lived well. That’s not to say she didn’t have hard times because everyone does, but no one would ever know that in speaking with her. Every hard time was a lesson to be kinder and that’s how she looked at it. She learned that lesson well because she is kindness itself. 

And love. She exudes love…there’s no other way to say it. And I do love this woman. She is no relation. Like I said, a friend, but she has never treated me as anything other than another daughter and my DH as a son.

Did I mention she gives the best hugs? I was happy to receive several of her famous hugs yesterday!

As I watched her greet her guests, moving through the crowd with infinite grace and uncommon style (there were a lot of guests—she is well loved), I thought…not only is this woman someone to admire, but also someone to emulate. She is the grand dame, the matriarch, the queen, and I am so fortunate to be part of her world. Happy birthday, my friend!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie