Advice From the Oldest Woman in the World

Five Tips from the Oldest Woman in the World. Posted by Jim_Daly on Oct 24. A colleague recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sidney Cooper of Monroe, Georgia. Mr. Cooper’s mother, Besse, is the oldest woman in the world. She’s 116. To put that number in context, at the time she was born, Grover Cleveland was President and Orville and Wilbur Wright were still seven years away from their first powered flight over Kitty Hawk. She’s now lived in three separate centuries and actually remembers the turn of the 19th to the 20th and the 20th to the 21st. Mrs. Cooper was born in east Tennessee and was the third of eight children. After graduating from college she worked briefly as a school teacher before moving to Georgia at the beginning of World War I. Besse Cooper and her husband, Luther, had four children. Widowed in December of 1963 after 39 years of marriage, Mrs. Cooper has remained single ever since. When she turned 105 she told her son had she known she was going to live so long, she would have remarried! A person can learn quite a bit from someone who has lived so many years. Here are five lessons culled from the long life of Besse Cooper, as conveyed by her son: 1. Cultivate a Sense of Wonder: “My mom thinks everything is great,” Sidney told my colleague. “When the telephone was invented she thought it was great. When air travel became possible, she thought it was great. She thinks life is a great and wonderful gift.” 2. Take in Stride What Comes Your Way: “She’s never been a worrier,” Sidney reflected. “What good will it do you?” 3. Read Your Bible: Up until her eyesight failed her three years ago, Mrs. Cooper read her Bible every day. “She especially loves the Psalms,” her son told us. 4. Don’t Eat Junk Food: Very few make it to 116 years of age without eating in moderation and maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet. 5. Mind Your Own Business: Mrs. Cooper has outlived all her peers, but according to her son, she said getting into other people’s business just wasn’t her style. This practice allowed her to better manage the challenges in her own life. God be with you, Mrs. Besse Cooper!

The Hammock

The favored place of rest and relaxation on our summer camping trip to Showlow was the hammock. Sometimes there was conscientious sharing and other times there were straight out races and wrestling matches for the spot. We relished it and found ourselves wondering why we didn't bring 5 hammocks. :) Photos, by Alex.

Audrey's 13th Birthday

God has given Audrey some great friends! Ten girls joined her for a sleepover party filled with games, food and laughter. Such a blessing!

Daddy Daughter Date

Dad treated Audrey to a special purity date for her 13th birthday. I had my first attempt at corsage making :). Audrey was loved on by Dad and chose to accept her purity ring.

Biology

Nothing like doing Biology on the couch with quilt and headphones! We just did our first dissection yesterday. It was quite the adventure! Can I just say that preserved perch still smells really bad?

Far Away with Lily and Mom

Play

I love when kids are free to enjoy their own creative play. Often, my Lily is creating something from sticks, boxes, tissues and tape. This day, she brought to life all the small toys she could. And life there was!

John 3:16

This aired during the playoffs for the Broncos and Patriots. God's Word is simply beautiful.

http://youtu.be/HIdq_SipL-A

or

http://bit.ly/xkErCO

Parental Rights

There are only a few political stances that I hold truly dear. Among them: religious liberty, freedom of speech, and parental rights. All of these have seen increasingly more government entanglements and it makes me cringe. Actually, it makes me angry.
Here is a link to a brief "movie" addressing the state of parental rights in the United States right now. I hope you will watch and pass along.

http://overruledmovie.com/

Christmas Eve at Our House

This year was a quiet Christmas Eve. But with plans of dear friends visiting after Christmas, we didn't mind. And we were all decked out for the occasion anyway. We always throw a birthday party for Jesus and this year we served Cornish hens with cornbread and fig stuffing, gravy, fresh salad with oranges and blackberries, fresh deep dish apple pie and homemade chocolate cake with Italian buttercream frosting. We also picked up some vegetarian Cornish pasties to accommodate the vegetarian. It was completed by the elegant country bouquet from our straggly rose bushes and bits of beauty around the house. Here's some pics. Hope you enjoy!