Wednesday, December 14

Quote of the Day: “I thank you God for most this amazing day; for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes.” E. E. Cummings

It’s all about recognizing joy! Kathy English gave me this great book called Joy filled with amazing quotes referencing aspects of joy.  Today is my 53rd birthday and I feel like shouting it from the rooftops.  My outlook has changed so much on growing older.  I have really never understood why people try to hid their age, most of us look our age anyway and it doesn’t surprise anyone how old we are but I must say that Mike made major points with me today when he sent me an early text that read: “Wow I can’t believe you’re already 39 years old!”  But I look at 80 year olds and think what an accomplishment that is, and furthermore, what a blessing!

My father’s grandmother, Esther, lived to the age of 104 and was pretty sharp at her 100th Birthday Celebration.  She was the feistiest woman I ever witnessed.  Now that I think of it, it’s pretty amazing that I knew her for as long as I did.  I was almost 40 when she passed away. She lost her husband in the flu epidemic of 1918 right around Christmas and his body laid in the house for days before anyone was able to move it because of the fear of the flu spreading.  My Grandmother, Tink, was a young girl and later in life was angry at the season, Christmas, that took her father.  

Esther became a nurse and was so proactive about taking care of her 5 children, and then after she remarried, step-children she considered her own. Her obituary reads: “Born September 3, 1892, Esther Mathilda Thorson Wixom Johnson, age 104, was called back to heaven February 20, 1997.  She was greeted on the other side by her parents, eight children and two husbands, Frank Solomon Wixom, who died in the flu epidemic December 29, 1918, and John Henry Johnson who died in 1968.She entered LDS Nursing School in 1920 where she graduated as a registered nurse in 1924.  She worked in Delta, Utah’s first hospital.  In 1942 she opened a dispensary at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.  In 1944 she was hired as a nurse at Union Pacific Northern Yards where she worked until 1959 when she retired.  Being rather bored with life, at age 75, she worked in general nursing at the University of Utah Hospital where she worked for an additional year and a half.  At age 83 she left Salt Lake City and moved to the Oregon coast to be close to her son, Jess, and sister, Mable. She lived in her own apartment until age 101.”

No doubt that she was a determined woman and hard worker.  But here is what comes to mind when I think of Esther.  She was extremely opinionated and loved Richard Nixon, even after he resigned for his role in Watergate, she still insisted that he was innocent.  I was in my teens and remember thinking; “Seriously?”, but never dared say anything aloud.  

Joe wrote me the finest birthday card with his Top 10 list:  I loved it!

 Amen!  

5 Generation Picture from left to right:  Great, great Grandma Thorsen, Esther, Thilda, Janet (my Mom) w/ Heidi, Boyd (My Dad)