Praise to thee, long lived of Texas' rich and ancient soil;
its fair winds have carried you through one age and into another.

Your early spring birth would mark a life of joy for every season,
always displaying a curious blend of yesterday searching for tomorrow.

The road to understanding is always unmarked and very steep to climb -
for its knowledge requires a selfless pledge to irrepressible truth.

In your bridging beginnings and ends with a considered gentleness,
could your early thoughts have ever traveled this far distance?

You saw the ebb and flow of humanity's retreats and advances,
observing the countless events of a century's overflowing store.

A life of love and giving to others is a precious skill - 
its rewards are instant and long remembered by even some unknown.

Those of us who have known and benefited from your grace
will always treasure memories acquired when our paths had met.

With much love to Alma Johnson from Robert Demler
On the occasion of your 100th Birthday on 22nd March 2006.

Copyright © Robert Demler
Monrovia, Liberia
21st March 2006

Post Script: Alma died on 3rd May 2006 at Port Arthur, Texas just a 
few weeks past her 100th Birthday which was her goal.

For those who do not remember, Mrs. Johnson was an English teacher
at Thomas Jefferson High School.

	

	

Note: Thank you, Robert, for sharing this beautiful poem and the photo
of Alma Johnson. Robert, class of TJ 1958, either visited Mrs. Johnson
on her birthday yearly or called her on the phone. He wrote this poem 
in celebration of her 100th birthday. She is 99 years of age in the 
picture above.
(Side note: It was breakfast in Texas Friday when Robert approved this 
webpage and 3:00 pm in North Africa. Wow! what a time difference. I had
made a few grammatical errors. Oops.)