Hey there Jerry,

Didn't sleep too well last night, so I'd like to sit down at your kitchen table with a strong cup of coffee this morning. You are blessed to have a 104 year-old in your life. The elderly are great treasures who have been needlessly cast aside in our hyperactive "modern" world. I had a dear friend who lived until a couple of weeks past her 105th birthday. Her mind was as sharp as a tack until the end. When she felt her body slipping, she insisted that it was her time, and did not want to be kept alive with medical procedures. Although I miss her terribly, it is difficult to mourn when someone draws from a deep inner well of creativity and spirituality, is curious and excited about the world around her, yet has the wisdom to know when the gig is up.

When I grow up I want to be like her.

Elmer