Hester Ford was born in 1905 and is still alive. At the time of writing this blog, she is the oldest living American at 114 (I would love to hear Hester tell some stories!).
World War I began when Hester was 8 and ended shortly after she turned 13. It was a bloody conflict with more than 20 million dead. Soon after WWI, the Spanish Flu arrived and killed approximately 50 million people. Thankfully, Hester survived.
Then in 1929, when Hester was 24, the Great Depression came, and the stock market erased approximately 80% of its value. She was only 28 when the Nazis came to power, and World War II began weeks after her 34th birthday – over 60 million people tragically lost their lives in the conflict. Thankfully, Hester survived.
When Hester was 44, the Korean War began and eventually claimed 5 million lives. The Vietnam war came a few years later, and after taking millions of lives, ended when she was 69. Thankfully, Hester survived.
Before she turned 70, Hester saw war, disease, and unthinkable change around the world. The first 70 years of her life were hard – there is no denying that. However, hardship alone should not prevent us from being thankful for what we have been given.
Has 2020 been a difficult year? Yes. Have many people tragically lost their lives from the virus? Yes. Are people getting bored spending more time at home? Yes. Is the world that we live in broken? Yes.
Humanity has endured a lot of death and destruction during Hester’s life but also since the beginning of time. With that being said, let’s use this as an opportunity to be thankful for what we have been given. For our family, we are thankful for God’s love for us, family, friends, a roof over our head, AC during the summer, advanced healthcare, live sports, a profession where we can help people, clients who continue to trust us, and the movie Frozen (our 3-year-old Hallie’s contribution to the list).
Hester’s favorite passage from the Bible is Psalm 23 which seems very fitting. Verses 1 – 4 read:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
What are you thankful for this year? We would love to hear from you!
About the Author
Matt Price serves as a Partner and Senior Vice President for The Price Group of Steward Partners. He resides in Houston with his wife, Emily, their two daughters and the family golden retriever. Matt studied at the University of Pennsylvania – Wharton School of Business for his Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Over the past 10 years, Matt has helped families make high quality, common sense decisions regarding their wealth and their legacy. Matt firmly believes that everyone needs a wealth coach!
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Sources:
1. https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I/Killed-wounded-and-missing
2. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/your-money/stocks-and-bonds/26stra.html
6. Lewy, Guenter (1978), America in Vietnam, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 442–453
7. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article237899399.html