Today was my mother's 88th birthday, and to celebrate, Lindsay decided that her grandma should have a party.  Although my mother worried all week about food and drinks and silverware (none of which she was in charge of since Sue, Lindsay, and I were organizing the whole thing), I think that she was genuinely pleased with the results today.

I say "think" because with Mother, one never knows what really delights her.  She is the type of person who is not happy unless she can complain about something, and I think that she really has forgotten how to do much of anything other than to complain.  That has become her normal method of communication, and those of us who know her are used to her fretting by now. 

At any rate, she was surrounded by family and friends today, and that seemed to make her relatively happy.  She was by far not the oldest person in the room.  The winner in that category was my Godmother Ruth, who at age 96 was sharper mentally and physically than some of the others in attendance.  My Aunt Gertie also is older than Mom but only by 6 months.  Ruth and Gert get along better than the other older relatives who came, and the key to having a good old age was once again illustrated by their willingness to exercise and to control what they eat. Ruth told me that even at her age, she exercises every day.  She is thin, walks with assistance due to balance issues more than anything else, and she was pretty sharp mentally. She ate a small meal and was content. Those relatives who were overweight and couch-bound were far worse off. 

Rick declared on the way home that we MUST keep active if we want to have a good old age.  Although we cannot control what diseases might afflict us, we can  control how much we eat, what we eat, and how much physical activity we get.  The key to weight loss is well known: eat less than you burn off, and keep moving to stay strong and healthy. 

A healthy future is within my control, and I just hope that I am smart enough to learn from my elders and to keep moving toward a more promising future.  Genetics are on my side as far as longevity is concerned; who I am in my old age is still up to me.