Celebrate Life

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. Oprah Winfrey

Two amazing elderly women inspire me to make the most of every season of my life—no matter how old I am.

Just after her husband of 67 years died, Norma was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of getting the standard cancer treatment, she told her doctor, "I’m 90 years old. I’m hitting the road." She then began an indefinite road trip across the US with her retired son and his wife. (Excerpted from the Facebook page, Driving Miss Norma)

Accompanied by her Standard Poodle Ringo, Norma’s trip of a lifetime has so far included visiting the National Parks and Disney World. She has also enjoyed whale watching and riding in a hot air balloon. Sure beats radiation, chemotherapy, blood work, tests and more tests that might not make much difference in prolonging Norma’s life.

Miss Norma & Ringo

Jean Veloz is an American dancer born in the 1920’s. She started her dancing career when the Lindy and Jitterbug were sweeping the country. She and her husband, Ray, won many dance competitions and even stared in a movie about the new craze. Eventually, Jean married Frank Veloz, an international dancer, and they danced on Frank’s TV show until the 1950’s. She came out of retirement in 1992 and today at age 90 is “back in the swing of things” on the dance floor. She is celebrating life to the full and shows no signs of slowing down. Click on this link to see Jean dance.     http://sfglobe.com/?id=3093&src=fbfan_3093

The key to both of these remarkable women’s longevity is that they keep their bodies moving by staying active and keeping their minds sharp by engaging in life. 

The stated purpose of this blog is to motivate senior adults to discard the stereotypes of ageing and to find ways to celebrate life in spite of biological age. We call all discover what keeps us motivated and sharp as long as God keeps us on this earth. Just like Jean and Norma, we all have the potential to celebrate life to the fullest.

April is National Donate Life Month which is near and dear to my heart. So many lives are saved each day by families who in the midst of their grief make the difficult decision to donate their loved ones organs. You can help others have more healthy lives and enable them to live to enjoy their senior adult years, by becoming an organ donor. I will always be grateful to the family who made that a possibility for me.