At age 62, J.R.R. Tolkien published the first volume of his series, The Lord of the Rings.
At age 65, Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book, Little House in the Big Woods.
At age 66, Noah Webster completed the American Dictionary of the English Language.
At age 77, John Glenn became the oldest person to go into space.

At age 89, Arthur Rubinstein performed one of his greatest recitals in Carnegie Hall.
At age 93, P.G. Wodehouse worked on his 97th novel, was knighted and died.
At age 95, Nola Ochs became the oldest person to receive a college diploma.
At age 100, Ida Keeling became the oldest runner to cross the finish line of the Penn Relays.

It was Ida’s story that intrigued me.

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I met a friend for breakfast.
She is a precious friend who has six children.
We knew each other from church years ago.
She is dear to me for a very special reason.

When I took care of my aunt, it was determined that she could no longer live alone.
She had a lovely apartment near the Art Museum in Philadelphia.
She was a career woman her entire life.
She never married.

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All of us should get our annual or biannual physicals each year.
Each year, we women go to the doctor who delivered our children.
It is part of our preventative medical care.
Whether a woman has children or not, an annual exam is vital to her health.

As I sat in the waiting room filling out the obligatory paperwork, I heard her.
A woman was in the nearby bathroom.
I knew without a doubt that she was pregnant.
I knew without a doubt that she was suffering from morning sickness.

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The preparations were underway for my daughter’s bridal shower.
Her future husband has twin brothers who will be his best men.
She will have both of her sisters as her maids of honor.
The wedding will be at the end of June.

The six bridesmaids all had their jobs to do.
They worked in pairs and added so many lovely touches to make the day so very lovely.
I decided to have the event catered so I could enjoy the guests and my daughter’s special day.
I worked hard the week before making sure the house would be lovely for her day.

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The town where my children went to school is quite picturesque.
The town has 45 acres of parkland including four ponds and the Brandywine Creek.
Years ago, some Canadian geese spotted one of these lovely ponds.
They were heading south for the winter and this spot was the perfect rest stop.

The people enjoyed seeing them there.
The geese added to the picturesque landscape.
People began feeding them pieces of bread.
The geese stayed; goslings arrived and soon the population of geese was getting out of control.

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I was smiling as I drove down the road.
I was smiling and remembering.
I was watching the minivan in front of me and it brought me back many years.
I was smiling because I imagined what people behind us must have been thinking.

The car in front of me had quite a few children in the back.
The mother was driving.
It was one of those spring days when you drive with the windows down.
You hear bits and pieces of other people’s music choices as you drive by.

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I started to take piano lessons when I was six years old.
An upright piano was purchased and was given a prime location in the living room.
The piano bench was the go-to place to take pictures.
The piano bench was the perfect spot to capture a moment.

I remember the lamp that swiveled in the direction of the sheet music.
I remember the philodendron plant that my mother had on top of the piano, right in the center.
The green leaves cascaded down over the wood.
I remember the vast number of songbooks that were hidden inside the piano bench.

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When our oldest daughter was twenty-eight-months-old, we had our second daughter.
She was so excited about having a new little brother or sister.
She was so excited about getting a big girl bed.
She couldn’t wait to see her new teddy bear comforters on her new bed.

She would be moving into her big girl room across the hall from the nursery.
She went into the room so many times throughout the day.
We decided to buy bunk beds that could be separated into two twin beds.
She liked the idea of having another bed in her room.

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I wasted a half hour today.
I cleaned all the bathrooms this morning.
Three bathrooms and two powder rooms were all finished before I went out to run errands.
I decided it was time to replace the brushes that are in their own little holder in the corner.

I replace them from time to time because of the job they are expected to do.
I did not need to replace the base.
I just needed to replace the brushes.
I went to the store with the bulls eye, the store where you can get anything and everything.

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I look around and see the various Easter decorations that get put out every year.
The Resurrections Eggs that are opened each day to tell the Easter story.
The glass eggs that look like someone took the time to impeccably dye them.
The ceramic basket filled with intricately painted eggs designed by the artist, Jim Shore.

It is that little basket of eggs that make me smile.
I smile because the yellow egg is on the top.
Every year the yellow egg with the delicate pink flowers is on the top of the basket.
My youngest daughter would not have it any other way.

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