Little Miss Pearl.

Today I went to the church Thanksgiving dinner after the service with my mom. It was quite the crowd and I ended up standing in front of a little lady named Pearl. She was bubbling around talking to everyone and I complimented her on her orange shirt and matching jacket (she was definitely dolled up for the occasion). She quickly responded that it was her Thanksgiving outfit and she would wear it for the lunch today, at a ladies lunch Tuesday and then for Thanksgiving day, then it would go back into the closet. Pearl informed me she had that routine of digging it out of the closet and putting it back for years and proudly declared she was 96. My jaw dropped. She looked 75, maybe 80.

Pearl told me that her brother has died and her sister has died but her niece lives close by. Pearl said that she told her niece, "If you're waiting for me to die, it's going to be awhile." What a positive outlook, huh? Thank you Pearl for making me step back and be thankful that I still have my sister and many friends and family to be grateful for this holiday season. Her secret to living such a long life- "eating a little of everything I like and giggling a lot." Cheers to that Pearl!