SELMA DEAN TEAM

Mrs. Bertha Louise Lester, Centenarian Extraordinaire

It was the year 1918 in Byromville, Georgia. Mrs. Mary Lizzie Jefferson Lester and Mr. Eugene Lester had a beautiful baby girl. They named their daughter Bertha Louise. On March 10, 2019, Bertha Louise celebrated her 101^st birthday!

Read on for a tiny glimpse into her well-lived life.

Even as a young girl, Bertha Louise’s life testified of achievement and excellence despite the odds. During the early 1900’s, equal opportunities for education were non-existent. Nevertheless, young Bertha graduated from the eighth grade. To finish the eighth grade was remarkable during an era when many rural, school-aged, Afro-American children had to work the fields to help support their families. 

Young Bertha was a beautiful young woman with high standards. Those same high standards of excellence were shared by the man she would marry. His name was Army Lester Jr. (Yes. They were unrelated and shared the same last name.)

The couple sat about creating a life together and starting a family. Mrs. Bertha gave  birth to nine full-term babies. Unfortunately, one of her babies did not survive. That’s when Ms. Bertha prayed to  live long enough to see all her children grow up.

In the face of harsh racism and scarce resources, Mr. and Mrs. Lester worked hard to provide every opportunity for their family. While her husband served in the US. Navy as a cook, Mrs. Bertha worked domestic service jobs for many years. Later, she completed training as a certified nursing attendant.

They demonstrated resourcefulness to  their children. Mrs. Bertha, being very creative,  sewed, restored furniture, and created beautiful floral arrangements. She canned food, baked, and worked in her garden. Meanwhile, Mr. Lester raised chickens, hogs, and cows for food. All of this was accomplished in addition to their full time jobs!

Education was a priority in the Lester household.  Knowing what it would take for their children to succeed in a modern world, the Lesters required self-discipline from them.  As a result, seven of their children earned post-graduate, college degrees. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lester practiced their Christian faith in all aspects of their lives.  Mrs. Bertha stood in firm agreement with her husband who would quote Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house; we will serve the Lord.” They were very active in their church. He as a church deacon, and she as church secretary. They were married for 72 years. Then, in April 2009, Mrs. Bertha’s beloved husband, father to her 9 children, church deacon, and respected community leader, went home to be with God.

As for Mrs. Bertha, on March 10, 2019, she celebrated another birthday milestone of 101 years old. When she prayed to see all her children reach adulthood, God certainly answered her prayer! Not only has she seen all her children reach adulthood, but her grandchildren are now adults as well. Sadly, she has buried one of her sons who passed at age 56.

For her 100^th birthday celebration, Mrs. Bertha received many honors and well-wishes. From near and far, family, community, and elected officials flocked to her home for the grand celebration! Among her well-wishes was a correspondence from the former president, Barak Obama.

Today, you will find Mrs. Bertha at her home in Byromville. She is still very much involved as the matriarch of her family. At 101 years old, she is remarkably sharp, and remains active involving her personal care. Most of all, she is still earning the love and  respect of people everywhere.

Many thanks to Mrs. Bertha’s daughter, Ms.Virlin Lester, for sharing this story. Virlin is pictured above with her mother.

We love hearing from you. To leave a comment or question, please click here.

5 Ways to Stop Multi-tasking!

Sharon hurries home from her son’s soccer practice to cook dinner and start a load of laundry. She checks homework before rushing off to Bible study. While eating lunch at his work desk, LJ works on bills and waits on-hold with a phone call. Janee uses her cell phone to catch up on texts and emails while walking her dog.

We multitask to get more done. However, research suggests multitaskers do less, and do it less well. Here are a few of the many research findings on why we should break the  habit of multitasking.

• Multitasking actually slows you down and takes more time in the end.
• More errors are made while multitasking than when single tasking.
• Spending time on multiple devices such as texting and watching TV can potentially cause brain damage in the brain’s area which is responsible for empathy and emotional control.

If you want to become more productive, try doing one activity at a time. However, it will take some practice and scheduling. Here’s how.

5 Ways to Stop Multitasking

1. Batching – Do you know someone who eats one thing at a time from the plate? That’s batching.

My mom was great at batching. She would cook dinner. When finished with dinner, she might sweep, and after that, do laundry. By 11 a.m., she was ready to sit and watch The Price is Right. 

Practice batching by finishing one job before moving on to the next. Prioritize your work. Avoid perfectionism!  Do your best and leave it alone, or revisit it later.

2. Mindfulness – Are your thoughts always wandering away from what you are doing? Mine are! That’s the opposite of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is totally investing yourself to where you are. Once, as a busy mother, student, and educator, I was having my weekly organ lesson. During the lesson, my thoughts were everywhere because of the hectic week at hand. My music professor said to me, “Be here; now.”

Practice mindfulness by focusing entirely on one task at a time. You may still become distracted. Just keep bringing your mind back to your task. Eventually, you will become more focused.

3. Tech time. – We love our smart phones. However, technology can be a major intruder in your life.

How much of this intrusion is urgent? Little to none. So, let voicemail take your non-urgent calls. 

Break the habit of constantly checking email and texts.
Establish an emergency “chain of contacts” with your loved ones. Then, schedule set times during the day to “check-in” your with texts and email.

4. Alone Time.” Schedule some time alone each day to get yourself going or to unwind!

Again, mom was a wonderful role-model here. By the time the rest of us woke up each morning, she would be sitting, reading her Bible. This was her “Alone Time.”

Enjoy a relaxing bubble bath, meditate, or play a game on your phone. No Facebook and texting right now! This is your time.

5. Time-Out. My daughter, an extremely busy, working mom, will take an occasional time-out. The family will sleep-in and enjoy their day at home.

Try getting your entire family to take a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly time-out. Take the day off. Keep on your pajamas. Take naps. Play some board games. Bake some cookies. Catch up on laundry.

It’s amazing how the world can keep functioning  for one day without us!

Finally, changing from multi-tasking to single tasking is possible with practice and scheduling.  Your immediate rewards will include less stress. You will actually begin to accomplish more in every area of your life.

Do you mostly multi-task or single task?  What other advice can you give to those of us who are constantly overwhelmed with too much to do? You can leave a comment by clicking here. Thanks. God bless!

Dearest Sister,
As much as the rest of us try, we cannot relate to your kind of heartbreak. You have paid a price that the rest of us have never paid.
We don’t always know what to do, or what to say to you.
Forgive us.
There was a mother, who, just like you, had to bury her child.
Her child was the victim of a horrendous, unjust murder.
Before his death, He left a message to his mother, and also to you.
Read on.

Jesus’ Message to You

My mother had to bury me, her son. Like you, her pain was unbearable, John 19:25-27.
But I made a promise to her before I left her. That same promise is to you, John 14:1-3.
I will live again…and the same Spirit that raised me from the dead will raise your child, Romans 8:11.    
You, your child, and I, will be together again. This time it will be forever, 1Thessalonians 4:16-17
But for now, my dear, feel our Father’s everlasting love surrounding you, 1 John 3:1.

We love hearing from you! Feel free to share your comments or questions by clicking here.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” This quote by Max Planck is even more powerful when explained by one of my favorite, virtual mentors, Dr. Wayne Dyer. I’m praying this 3 minute message by the late Dr. Dyer will encouragement you today. God bless!

We love hearing from you! Feel free to share your comments or questions by  clicking here.

Even after accepting Christ as our Savior, bad choices or painful mistreatment from our past can still hunt us. That’s why Jesus is waiting to have a conversation with you about your not-so-good past. He wants to heal you completely and help you discover everlasting peace. Read on.

The story about Jesus meeting a woman who was at a well to get water shows how Jesus uses the facts about someone’s past to lead them into a better life. You can read the entire story in the Bible at John 4:7-26.

Jesus once met a woman getting water from a well. Their conversation shows how Jesus uses facts about her embarrassing past to lead her to peacefulness, purpose, and eternal life. (Read the entire story in the Bible at John 4:7-26.)

If you still struggle with the hurt from a not-so-good past, here are 5 steps to begin your journey to freedom.

1. Believe that Jesus wants to heal you from the mistakes of your painful past. John 4:16
2. Admit to God the complete truth about your past. John 4:17
3. Accept that Jesus already knows what happened in your past, and he understands. John 4:18
4. Understand who Jesus is, and that he is able to set you free from past hurts. John 4:19, John 4:26
5. Be free! Start living out your God-given purpose. John 4:28-29, John 4:39

Some of you may have experienced horrific pain in your past. (Please read our previous post entitled, Are You Living With A Shameful Secret?) You may also need the help of your pastor or a mental health professional. 
You can be sure it is God leading you in this journey toward emotional healing and peace. God bless!

We love hearing from you. Please click here for questions or comments. Thanks.