She is 92 years old, petite, well poised and dignified. She is fully dressed each morning by 8:00 am, with her hair fashionably coifed and her make-up perfectly applied. (She is legally blind!)

After her husband of 70 years passed away, she was admitted to a nursing home. She smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, a visual description of her tiny room was provided to her.

She yelled, "I love it!"

She had not, nor could see the room.

She spoke these words to the nurse: "That doesn't have anything to do with it. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I arrange my mind. I have already decided to love it. To be happy is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work...or I can get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do work. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open in the morning, I will focus on the new day and all the happy memories I have stored away...just for this time in my life!"

What a beautiful attitutde! May we all learn from this woman-those who, like her, are already in their sunset years, and others who, by God's grace, will someday reach them. Let us greet each day with a decision to be happy!