I once knew a woman who remembered a trip she and her family made from Missouri to Oregon, when she was just a small child.  They traveled by covered wagon.  The woman’s name was Margaret, and when she died several years ago, many people were disappointed – not only that she was gone, but that she didn’t quite make it to the age of 100.  She came very close, however.

I was in awe of Margaret, and of others like her.  She lived through virtually the entire 20^th Century.  During what other period of the human story has life changed so dramatically?  When else has the world undergone more of a transformation?

When Margaret was growing up, women were not allowed to vote.  Now there not only are a number of female U. S. Senators and Representatives, a woman is running for president.  Think of the evolution in the world of communications during Margaret’s lifetime:  everything from telegraph to Internet, from lots of wires, and poles to hold them up, to invisible signals firing information in every direction at the speed of light.  In her lifetime, Margaret witnessed covered wagons, the Model A, the VW bug, Hummers, Lincoln Continentals, railways above and below ground, the exploration of space, even human beings walking on the moon. Wars defined generations in various ways. Fashion, social mores, gender roles, and entertainment all look nothing like they did when Margaret was a child.  Knowledge increased exponentially during the 20^th Century.  Truth changed.  What an exciting time it was to live one’s life.

There is a Disciples church in Havana, Illinois with an average Sunday worship attendance of 55, including two women who have lived 100 years, with another poised to join the ranks.  The pastor finds it “exceptional” to have these ladies in the church.  You better believe it, brother.  He said, “These centenarians bless our lives with their faithful examples and we pray God’s continuing blessings on them.”