Monday, September 15, 2008

one hundred four

It is possible that I am referring to the hot temperatures around here this weekend, but I am not. Would you believe I am referring to time, to years, to someones birthday? My Great Aunt Irene celebrated her 104th birthday this weekend and my family joined her and her huge immediate family for a party this weekend in South Boston, Virginia. She is an aunt by marriage and I have to say that I have only met her a handful of times- that I remember. That is something I'd like to change. My mom, of course is much better acquainted. Here they are together over the summer at another party. Aunt Irene doesn't miss a party.


There is no doubt that it takes an amazing woman to live a life that spans over a century. She was born in 1904. That is hard to fathom. She has virtually witnessed every single milestone of the modern world. She is a strong woman with an amazing energy and love for life- and she is still going strong. She shared with all of us a few secrets to her longevity and I wanted to share them with all of you.

How to live to be 104, according to Aunt Irene-
1- Love God.
2- Love life and choose to be happy.
3. Eat tomatoes.

Without a doubt the first two are important, but when I heard the third one I could not help but smile. Apparently she eats tomatoes every single day- all the time. Isn't that funny? Hey, it's worth a try, right? My mom tells me that she ate ham everyday up into her 90s. I think there is something to say for a hardy, fresh country diet. Throw in decades and decades of hard work and good character and next thing you know, 104.

Here are some pictures of Aunt Irene and her birthday party. She's by far the oldest person I have every had the honor of knowing. She's an inspiration...

I'll show you more pictures from our trip later this week. I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday- oh it got here so fast.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

I am glad you had a wonderful weekend and what an awesome post. I just love it when I hear of stories such as this one. I am gonna run out an buy me a whole bushel of tomatoes!!!

traci said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT IRENE!!!! how wonderful is that. uh oh, i'm in trouble - i'm not a fan of tomatoes by themselves. does it count if they are in salsa or tomato sauce? the banner is beautiful!

TupeloLove said...

That is amazing. I can only hope and pray to live that long! What a wonderful life she has!

Georgia Girl said...

Oh how neat! I hope she has many more! I love her three points! Great Post!

Michele said...

What a wonderful story. Happy Birthday to your aunt! I love tomatoes...and wouldn't mind at all eating one every day!

Hugz,
Michele

Liz Harrell said...

Eat tomatoes! She's adorable!

Anonymous said...

This is so inspiring. And her three tips are heartwarming. I'm just in awe by this post. How beautiful.

Mrs. B said...

Happy Birthday to Aunt Irene! Wow! I love her tips for longevity!

Weeksie50 said...

What an amazing story and a beautiful life..

Happy Birthday to your dear aunt.

Becky

Whitney said...

WOW! That is awesome!

Okay, I love God, I love life and choose to be happy, but wait - I HATE TOMATOES. Crud; I am doomed!! Wait...does salsa count!?!

:)

Big Hair Envy said...

Happy Birthday Aunt Irene! Here's to many more :)

I'm SO glad that I LOVE tomatoes!! And ham...

Happy Monday my friend! Hope it has gone by quickly for you :)

Kim's Treasures said...

What an awesome post! Wow 104!!! Happy Birthday Aunt Irene!!!

I look forward to hearing more about your trip!

We had sooo much rain here over the weekend...my garden and the rest of the pumpkins still on the vine were under water. Our creek overfloweth! We lucked out...there are many in our township dealing with more water. I took pics but my computer decided it doesn't want to read memory cards any more. I will try to get my daughter's plug in reader so I can update.

Have a great day!
Hugs!
Kim

Anonymous said...

WOW - 104 - thats amazing!! And she doesn't look 104 either! Looks like a life well lived...

Sandra said...

Oh Wow 104, a big Happy Birthday to your aunt, she looks so sweet :)

Thrifty Cents said...

Wow, what a milestone! How wonderful to be so full of life at 104! I'm glad our plants finally started producing tomatoes after all of the rain last week!

Wanita said...

Your Aunt Irene sounds like an amazing woman. I love her tips for living a long life. The first two, I'm certain, help to live life to the fullest. I'm not sure about the tomatoes, but they can't hurt.

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

I love this story!! Happy 104th Irene! You are amazing! Now off to eat a tomato!!!

xoxo
Becky