23 August 2024

A very old woman died this week. She was 117 - and at the point of departure was the oldest person in the world. Her name – Maria Branyas Morera. She was born in San Francisco on 4 March 1907 but lived mostly in Spain, surviving two World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, the flu epidemic and Covid! 

Remarkably, her family wrote, ‘She died as she wished in her sleep, peacefully and without pain.’ Apparently, she had never been to hospital. She had never broken a bone. She had no cardiovascular disease. She had a very lucid mind. The only inhibiting factors were mobility and hearing.

In 1931, she married a doctor who died aged 72. They had three children, one of whom predeceased her. There were eleven grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. ‘The time is near.’ she said to her family. ‘Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And, above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy.’

In an interview with the Guinness Book of Records, Branyas answered questions about her great age. ‘I think it has stemmed from order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people.’

An ordered life is vitally important not least for children – many do not get it. But it provides security and builds trust. Good relationships especially with family and friends are life-sustaining and enhancing. Thinking positively about all life’s unexpected events  leads to a more hopeful outlook.

The most surprising contribution to Maria’s longevity is ‘staying away from toxic people’. It took me a long time to embrace this wisdom. Naturally, we expect to minister to everyone but some people are deliberately difficult, ungenerous, vengeful, vicious. Here Jesus’ wisdom holds true. Shake off the dust from your feet and go, live for a hundred and seventeen years!

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