Years ago, our Sunday routine included stopping off at a senior living community and giving Marie a ride to church. She always met us out front, I opened the car door for her, and then I slid into the back seat.
The drive from her apartment to church was less than ten minutes, but Marie never failed to make that drive fun.
She laughed often and had the best smile. Her signature statement was “I’m as happy as a clam in high tide.” And she was.
She might have been “old” (her description), but she didn’t allow her age to be a detriment to her decision to be happy.
She was wise, considerate, and never once did she complain about her life. As a widow, she had to be lonely, but you’d never guess it from the joy she gave away.
She was grateful for the ride to church and always made us feel like we had made her day special just by being us. She was so easy to please.
I’m fairly certain she left this earth with a broad smile on her face.
I hope that if I have the privilege of living to be Marie’s age, I could be like she was. Smiling, hopeful, kind, and without a negative word about anyone. She knew how to love well, and in doing so, she lived well.
"The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old."
Proverbs 20:29