Helene Hadsell’s Observations on her Birthday

Helene Hadsell would have been 101 years old this year.

This article was written on June 3rd, 2007, two days after her birthday on June 1st.

MY 83RD BIRTHDAY IN TEXAS

I spent my 83rd birthday with no party or presents in the usual sense, but with the greatest gifts of all. The ability to see the sky, walk without the aid of a wheelchair, fix my food to my liking, in control of the remote, drive my car when I need an outing, write my thoughts on a convenient laptop, and read other people’s concepts from the books they write.

My daily ritual is to drink my first cup of tea by the window as I listen to the song of the birds that are at the feeder outside. I sit and watch as their wings beat, fighting for spaces on the curved perches. When I raise the blinds, they all scatter except for one red bird that looks in at me. I become quiet, and suddenly the bird flies to the window, clings to the window ledge, and pecks on the window. Is the bird communicating, perhaps thanking me for the food I supply?

In the evening, when I sit on the front porch and feel the breeze that started in a faraway world and traveled softly just to caress my shoulders, I feel blessed. As the sun sets, I listen to the song of the frogs and watch the fireflies wink and glide. I know that a Supreme Being had not left his perch. It just seems that way sometimes. This I must remind myself constantly. Living as I do in a small town with an abundance of small-town apathy and dullness. But there is always something that makes each day SPECIAL—Knowing You!  Your visits, your e-mails, your calls, your letters.

The world is moving so fast, and the electronic devices we keep inventing makes it faster, blurring our vision and eroding the humanness of humans. We must become aware and alert and continue to maintain a positive attitude.

Stealing—Cheating—Lying is not a SIN when you see it from a different perspective. Stealing a kiss from a grandbaby. Cheating death and living to be over eighty. Lying beside someone you love.

I smile every time I observe the BIG PICTURE. Consoling myself with my philosophy that: Life goes on. Who cares, and Get over it.

I’m content. Happy and blessed even on this rural Texas acreage, for I have learned long ago that there is no better there than here. It simply becomes another here. So learn to live in the here and now, and you too will find your Heaven on Earth.

Helene Hadsell

Read the observations Helene wrote on what would have been her 100th birthday.