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Use God's teapot
A perfect example of someone who is leading a long, healthy and happy life is Fay Midyette Bond of Oriental, who celebrated her 80th birthday on Sept. 29, 2003. I met Fay in an early morning walking group which she participates in to this day. She also leads two other exercise classes: one calisthenic stretch and one water aerobics class. Fay is quick to see the humor in everything. Loves to tell a joke. And when all are describing their ailments, she laughingly says, "The doctor tells me that whatever I'm doing to keep doing it—and I'll be okay." Fay is the most accepting and welcoming person I have ever met. Northerner and southerner alike, she makes sure one feels at home and is part of a group. Oriental was founded by Fay's ancestors, and Fay has a great love and feeling of responsibility toward her community. She is a pillar of her church, sings in the choir and can always be found pulling a weed or planting a flower to beautify her church. She is a supportive wife and a sympathetic mother to her grown children. Fay and her husband, John, have fun together. I know that without asking, just from observing them jitterbugging on the dance floor. Every August they have a watermelon party on their lawn for the whole town. There is a lot of laughter, rain or shine, and they don't seem to mind the mess. I think the reason for Fay's good humor, health and happiness is her strong faith in God. Fay doesn't just give lip service to her religion; she lives her belief every day, treating all as her neighbors. Her faith permeates her character and glows in her shining face. She writes out her problems on slips of paper, which she commits to a teapot. God's teapot, she calls it. "It's amazing," she says, "when I look at them a year later and see how many have been solved." Her life is healthy and happy and I would like to grow old just like her. Marion Marsh |
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