95 Never Looked Better!

     My Dad recently celebrated his 95th birthday.  That is a lot of living!   Daddy was born in
Malesus, TN in 1919.  He has been a member of Malesus Methodist Church and a part of that community for most of his life.  He traveled a bit during his young adult years with the CCC and then was stationed in Europe during World War II.  He married my Mom in 1944 and they remained married until her death last year.    
     From my Mom I inherited my love of animals and nature but from Daddy I acquired a love of maps.  When we travel I love to sit in the passenger's seat with a map on my lap.  I can stay entertained for hours looking at  quaint names of towns and different routes to destinations.  This is understandable when you know my Dad.  He keeps a world atlas by his chair along with a magnifying glass.  It is not unusual for me to check in on him and find him looking up a place he heard about on the news.  Daddy's  physical strength is not what it used to be but his mind is still sharp.  He recites the first psalm and the twenty third psalm daily and loves to entertain us by reading poetry aloud.  He loves Longfellow, Emerson, Holmes and Robert Service.  Much of what I know about poetry and history I learned from my Father.  His curiosity about the world and his interest in other people have not diminished at all.  He is an inspiration to all of us.  He attends cardiac rehab three times a week and loves to tell me exactly how long he worked at each session.  "I worked forty four minutes and fifteen seconds," he will say.  Daddy also keeps up with all of the sports on the regional and national level and he frequently shares with us the important news stories of the day.
     My husband has been taking notes about all of the entertaining stories Daddy shares with us about growing up on the farm with ten brothers and sisters and stories about people he has known through the years.    He has cultivated many friendships over time and still keeps up with his extended family.     To celebrate his birthday we had a party at Malesus church fellowship hall and EVERYONE came.  He had a large time with about 140 well wishers!!!  So, Herman, to you we say, "95 never looked better!"