You know how when you were little and you had that one best friend that you vowed would be your best friend forever, You all would grow up together, go to school together, share wedding dates, have children and everything else in between; as long as you were together you could accomplish anything and promise to have each others backs; no matter what? Well that is just how the story went for Elizabeth Hammett, Gladys Butler, Bernice Underwood and Leona Barnes.
According to praisedc Elizabeth, Gladys and Bernice all celebrated their 100th birthday at Washington’s Zion Baptist Church where they each had attended since they were kids, Leona Barnes would have celebrated her 100th birthday with her best friends but passed away last month. In remembrance of her; the ladies had her portrait placed on the bench beside them. Per the washingtonpost the ladies met as children growing up in Southwest Washington, where Zion Baptist church was originally located; they played hopscotch and jumped rope together. They continued to remain friends even through adulthood – three of them having babies within the same year of 1933.
Being 100yrs of age, you tend to see quite a bit of things that happened over history – like the race riots of 1968 and the incomparable Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr; while the ladies have celebrated many historical moments such as the election of President Barack Obama whom became the first African American to run for president, in whom they each voted for during both terms. Another historical event that the ladies are looking forward too is electing democrat presidential-elect Hilary Clinton as the first woman President; they all hope to be around to witness the event. While the ladies have had their share of historical moments, they’ve also had their share of personal tragedies such as when each pulled together as they buried their husbands and elderly children.
The celebration for the best friends were filled with church leaders, family, friends, community members, prayers, songs and a showering of gifts as the women celebrated their life’s milestone – they also celebrated their friend Leona Barnes. A video was aired during the ceremony which reflected the ladies lives, friendships and regrets. The ladies received a surprise from Ms. O herself Oprah Winfrey whom chimed in to tell the ladies how she had never seen anything like that before.
“The things you must have seen over the last century, I don’t know what to say”. Oprah said.
Of course if you live to be 100 you must have some advice for a younger generation – in which the ladies advised:
“Don’t talk Back”, Hammett stated
“Respect”, Barnes said
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, Underwood said
The ladies all attributed their longevity to prayer and the “Grace of God”
“I prayed to him everyday and Thank him everyday”, Butler said.
If you think making it to 100yrs of age is a far cry; think again, as these ladies show that it’s not only achievable but possible. You can view the inspirational video above.
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