Happy 100th Birthday, Grandma Maxine!

This past Saturday our family had the wonderful privilege of celebrating my Grandmother Maxine’s 100^th birthday.  We spent the afternoon at the Congregational church in Mantorville, Minnesota and then continued our celebrations at the local golf course.

It’s hard for me to get my head around what it must like to live to be a hundred—though centenarians are one of the fastest growing age groups in our country.  On September 13, 1914 Europe was in the midst of a terrible war that we know of as World War I.  Minnesota had only been a state for 56 years.  Indoor plumbing, reliable automobiles, and television were only dreams.  The world was much different.  My grandmother and her generation have seen more change in a hundred years than any other generation in the history of the world.

My grandmother is one of the most competitive people I know.  When we play board games or card games she wants to win.  A card game is not a friendly endeavor.  She’s going to do whatever she can to win—and it doesn’t matter with whom she is playing.  If she goes set on her bid—no matter.  She will bid just as aggressively on the next hand.

My grandmother pays attention.  My blogs are printed out on her printer at home.  If the interval between my blogs goes too long I will hear about it.  Sometimes I write only because I know she wants me to write.

Though she has traveled the country she has lived her entire life within a short distance of Mantorville, Minnesota.  Her example of taking root is one about which all of us should pay attention.

She is becoming a local celebrity.  During the last year the Rochester Post Bulletin, Dodge County Independent, and KTTC have done stories on her.  We’re still waiting to see if Willard Scott from the Today show acknowledges her birthday.

We had a wonderful time celebrating her 100^th birthday.  Her kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, great-great grandkids and many other relatives came to share stories, laugh, and have fun.  My wife, Amy, delighted all of us by giving an impromptu toast and leading the large crowd in singing, “Happy Birthday.”

Happy Birthday, Grandma.  The world has been blessed in many, many ways by your life!