Happy Birthday Ethelyn!

My favorite person of all time, my great-aunt, Ethelyn, has a birthday today! Ethelyn is an amazing person for so many reasons that I can't even post them all, but here are a few:

*Ethelyn was the youngest of 5 children, 4 girls and 1 boy, and still lives in the house she was born in. Her brother was 19 years older.

*She was the only girl in her class in medical school -- class of 1945.

*She worked as a general practitioner for over 50 years in Senatobia, from her downtown office, making frequent house calls, and seeing patients on her back porch after (and before) hours.

*It cost $2 to see her. My mom remembers when it was $1, but all my life it was $2. (A guy tipped her once. He handed her a $5 bill and told her to keep the change.)

*She always has a good joke for me. She also has more funny stories than anyone I know.

*She hates parties and get-togethers, hates having pictures taken of herself, and would KILL me for putting a picture of her on my blog. But here she is teaching little Jackson how to drive her boat.

*She has taught more people to water ski than any of us can count. She gave up skiing herself when she was about 75. I still don't know why, and I think we can convince her to try again this summer.

*She's up for going to The Dam (Sardis Lake dam) anytime it's not too cold, not too hot, or not too windy. If it's any of those things, she'd rather go fishing. She's a great fisherman!

*She's the most patient person I know. She'll drag someone behind the boat for miles, reminding them to "keep your arms straight and your knees bent" over and over, and when they don't get up on the skis, she'll say it's her fault for driving the boat wrong.

*She taught me to fish, to hike creeks, to water ski, ride a horse, drive a car, drive a boat, dig potatoes, pick beans, diagnose hepatitis, and untangle anything (ropes, fishing line, etc.) by just shaking it loose.

*She takes care of people young and old, has delivered thousands of babies, adopted hundreds of animals, and made millions of friends.

*No matter where shes goes in the whole country, somebody will know her. She was just telling me about the time she and a friend were visiting somebody at the old Baptist Central. It was dark and late when they began their walk to the parking garage. Out of the shadows came a group of tough-looking young men. Just as she was starting to get nervous and think about how to protect her friend, one of the guys called out, "Hey Dr. Ethelyn! What are you doing up here?" I believe it was the Miami airport we were in on our way to Cayman one time that somebody else recognized her. It happens all the time.

*Police officers apologize for inconveniencing her when they stop her (which rarely ever happens!).

*She doesn't drive like a little old lady, even though she's probably older than most of them. In fact, she makes fun of how they drive. She can back down my parents' crazy driveway, back a boat into a very narrow garage, drive a tractor or a boat better than anybody. Except me someday. I learned how to do it from her.

*She has the most beautiful yard and garden that she works on all the time. Here are some pictures of her flowers.

There are so many more stories about Ethelyn I could tell! She is one amazing person. I wish that everyone had the opportunity to know someone like her. But really, there aren't any others like her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHELYN!