Thanks to a caring and organizationally-gifted granddaughter – and more than 100 thoughtful friends and relatives – my mother received a slew of birthday cards this week. My girlchild orchestrated the project over a period of weeks, arranging for the cards to be sent to her address so she could gather them into a festive bag and present them, in one fell swoop, to the birthday girl.

There were so many that we thought Mom, about to turn 83, might be 84 before she finished opening them.

Still, she couldn’t stop smiling, and no wonder. Many of the cards contained sweet, complimentary messages. “To the prettiest lady in our church,” an observant soul wrote. “To a great Southern lady of style and grace,” wrote a discerning young man we consider a “kissing cousin.”

A clever friend wrote a poem suggesting Mom ought to stick around to 104. Sounded good to me.

But one funny thing we couldn’t help noticing. When the man of the house had a recent milestone birthday, most all the cards he got had punchlines. Not Mom’s. People don’t tend to send funny cards to octogenarians.

I guess that makes sense, but it also made a few cards stand out – because they made us laugh out loud.

My favorite, from another octogenarian, had the familiar cover line, “We’re not getting older, we’re getting better.” On the inside was this sentiment: All we have to do is figure out what we’re getting better at.”

That can be a challenge for someone whose list of medications runs longer than her grocery list. Whose get-up-and-go, most days, got up and went.

Getting better? At what?

The question is worth more than a laugh. It’s worth a little reflection.

At 80 or 83, 88 or 91, what can a person get better at?

The answer, as it turned out, was in the cards.

The unidentified author called it “A birthday prayer for all good things.” Here are a few of the best parts:

“May your days be filled with the things that make you feel happy and the people who make you feel loved…

May your heart be open enough to care deeply, to give freely, and to forgive completely…

May you find in each challenge a reason to try, a chance to grow and a way to succeed…

May your world be safe and kind, where your needs are heard, your voice is respected and your efforts rewarded.

May your spirit always shine, your heart always lead and your faith always triumph…”

Amen.

Amen!

Easily half of mother’s birthday messages contained expressions of respect and admiration. Love in abundance, too, but more than that, appreciation for the example of courageous living.

“No matter what, you always persevere,” said one. “I am inspired by the example of your strong life,” said another.

And so, it seems to me, the card writers answered the question: What can we get better at – even as the years roll by?

Those, like my mother, who strive to look past pain and problems, who persevere in the face of daily adversity, who are strongest when they are most weak, those are the people who inspire us…and help us, too, find a reason to try.

We all need inspiration.

And who better to provide it than those shining spirits who live bravely amid life’s frailties?

The Army has a saying: There’s strong and then there’s Army strong.

We all understand what that means.

But, in my experience, another version is apt. There’s strong and then there’s Older strong.

What do the strong octogenarians among us do better now than way back when?

They inspire us. Better than ever.

The world needs inspiration. Maybe, in the big picture, that’s how they continue to lead.

And serve.

There was no birthday card from me in the big sack my mom received.

I wasn’t done writing it. Now I am.

Happy birthday to my inspiring Mom.