BIRDIE IDELL LOW COTTER

My mother is living at Holland Lake Nursing Center, and she is a hoot. She has a hard time remembering much, and she certainly struggles with her communication skills. I wish she could do better, but at 101 I believe she is doing great.

Mother was born in 1907 . . yes, that's right . . 1907. As you may realize, that was before the days of automobiles or airplanes or whatever we may consider "modern". You realize that I don't know how a cell phone works. It's hard to imagine what she thinks of this "stuff" that overwhelmes our society. She just accepts it and continues to live her life.

My mother's mother died when my mother was 12 years of age, and my mother then became the "mother" of her four younger siblings. (How do you like that sentence?) They did have some help from aunts and cousins and other relatives, but my mother took over most of the household at that young age. I'm talking about a dirt poor household; I really don't know how they survived in that dry West Texas life. They did, and my mother went on to raise her own family and to live with my Dad for 57 great years before he died 21 years ago.

I'm headed over to see her this morning. They get her up at 7:30 for breakfast, and I'll get there about 8:30 for a visit. She's now in a wheelchair, but she zips up and down the hallways. She'll probably be confused, but we'll vist for about 30 minutes. She'll say to me, "There's something I wanted to tell you." Then she'll never be able to remember what it was. That's okay. We'll visit and then she will probably want me to leave. We really don't have a lot to talk about, but it's important that I'm there. That's how life is between Birdie and Sam.

I'm not sure I want to live to be 101, but all of that is really in God's hands. I just want to stay faithful for the years that I have on this earth. That's how it is between Jehovah and Sam.