It’s not often when reading of current events that I have the pleasure of enjoying a story as much as I enjoyed that of the 100th birthday of Barbara Blakey Stephens in The Signal (Aug. 5). My first reaction when looking at the two photos of her was, “Damn, she looks great for 100! I want to look like that when I’m 100.” And she looks happy, too, and I am very happy for her that she has aged with such grace and gratitude for life itself.
People age in many ways, and they age the way they do for many reasons, but Blakey Stephens (to me) is a picture of what is possible, something to shoot for. Thank you, Katherine Quezada, for writing this story, thank you to The Signal for sharing it with us, and thank you especially to Barbara for making it all possible. We must grasp at every single opportunity to smile in this world gone insane.
Arthur Saginian
Santa Clarita