… who just turned 100 years old.

I am convinced that one’s success in Life is determined not by wealth or how far up the ladder they can climb, but by the number of people who have an intense love for them.

Case in point:  I personally know an old woman who just turned 100.  She does not have a fancy house with fine carpets or classical paintings on the wall, nor does she drive an expensive car.

What she does have, is generations of good people who have descended from her.  Of her nine kids, all are successful and of sound mind (for the most part) and have passed her amazing gift of Life to their children.  And those incredible Grandchildren will pass it on to their children.  It will go on and on, and I think what a wonderful contribution to the world this good woman has given!  I am at awe ….

Please allow me to take a moment of your time to tell you about her.

She was one of 11 children, second to the youngest.  This dear woman’s nine kids have given her 21 grandchildren and at last count, 28 great-grandchildren.  The number of her descendants will eventually number in the hundreds, and in generations they will be over a thousand.  She came to Pampa in 1939 and got a job at KPDN, then met a young soldier at the Pampa Army Airfield, and in 1944 began a happy 63 year marriage together.

She helped write the Gray County Heritage Book, and wrote six additional books of her own, ending with one to extol the truth that age doesn’t keep you from doing what you want.  Her proof is her graduation from Texas Tech University at the age of 89.

I recently sat at lunch with a friend telling him about this wonderful lady, and he asked me something that I had not thought of, “What is it that made her live to be 100 years old?”

I thought about that a moment and realized it is her sense of humor, her outlook on Life and her descendants.

A wise person will always observe others and learn from them.  During a life of 100 years, we realize the more we learn, the less we actually know.  We begin to enjoy Life at a deeper level, and we enjoy laughing at ourselves.  We see all people as precious souls, so we connect with them more.

Watching her throughout my life, I see she is content with her life and her past.  Her regrets are put aside because there is nothing to do with them, except learn from them.

This incredible Lady is Elleta Nolte and she just turned 100 on March 18th.  Needless to say, I am very proud that she is my mother.