Today we have celebrated the 100th birthday of Mama Rosette. She joined her 19 children and their own large families, including the youngest, her 102nd descendant (fourth generation), in the hall decorated with number 100, pictures, and flowers. Nobody was 100 percent sure whether this day would be an occasion for celebration or sad reflection because her injury from a fall earlier this year resulted in moving her to a nursing home and her body grew weaker with each passing day. But her strong mind did not allow her body to succumb to the adverse physical conditions. She is a vivid proof that the mind governs the body, almost ridiculing "mens sana in corpore sano." Her mental power is composed of simple ingredients: acceptance, enthusiasm, and faith. Her eyes exuding enthusiasm make us oblivious to her wrinkles and feeble joints, and her enthusiasm spreads healthy vibrations in and around her. Acceptance and faith are excellent anti-stressors because active acceptance replaces passive surrender or futile resistance and prayers replace worries and anxieties. Praying has been Mama Rosette's lifelong habit. It may be her daily prayer, if not the God to whom she prays, that has kept her 102 descendants plus spouses live and kicking all along. Looking at populationwide statistics, it certainly is a miracle that not a single member of this large family has fallen victim to disease or accident. It may sound cruel, given her conditions of chronic pain, but I do hope that Mama Rosette will stay among the living for many years to come. And who knows? She may become a proud example of "corpore sano in mens sana."
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