Wow! I have really made it here! Who would have thought that, I, Laveryle, Verlie, Strong, Jager, Bosley, and now Rider would have arrived at this special date, still able to write and to read whatever I want to! Able to drive my car, keep house, plan my days and enjoy my trusty IPad! On Saturday I celebrated my 92nd birthday with my family at La Fiesta here in Hart. Blew out the two candles on my cake and enjoyed the day immensely.

Now I am recouperating from all of the excitement of seeing everyone. This morning I saw the ads talking about Labor Day and started thinking about how far I have come and how much I have seen. Everything has changed so much. Today’s children have no conception of how it was for children when I was in grade school at Moon School in Muskegon, Michigan and then in Junior High and High School. We walked to school each day. We played outdoors until the dark and our mothers forced us in for bedtime. We were really lucky if we had a wagon or a bike. On rainy days we played in our basement, roller skating round and round on the cement floor. On Saturday mornings we cleaned our bedroom via force if we wanted to go out to play again. Sundays were church and SundaySchool. Then a big meal and my dad would take us for a ride somewhere. Usually it was to the lake or to look at farms in the countryside. He always wanted to farm but never found one he could buy.
But eventually when I was almost 58 years old I got my chance at a fruit farmer when I met Bob Rider. He was selling his fruit at the Muskegon Farmers Market when I came walking up and that was the day when everything changed again for me. Eventually I became the farms bookkeeper and sorter and picker and then even the seller at the same market I who already had four sons became the mother of another son and two daughters. Seven children plus numerous grandchildren and eventually many great and great great grandchildren.
So life has been so good to me. The ups and downs have faded into the past and sometimes I need reminders for the names of some of them. I have actually lived in nine states, visited in numerous ones, traveled thru over 40 of them by car, and enjoyed them all immensely . I have published two books and I have written on my blog for many years.
I haven’t decided what is to come next yet but I am working on it. The young girl who lay in her second story bedroom dreaming of something still far off in the future still exists in my mind and heart. As a young person I never knew what I know now. That the next time you meet an older person you can realize that they too have that secret person still in their mind and heart.