DEAR ABBY: My Aunt Ida lived to be 108. She remained rational and alert to the end. One day she asked, "Why do I have to stay around so long? What good am I? Is there any reason to keep me all this time?"
My wife, Pat, who always seems to get it right, said: "Ida, you're here because of your smile. You have the brightest smile in the world, and when you smile you make everyone feel good. That's why you're here. You have a purpose."
Ida immediately brightened, said, "You think so?" and broke into a big grin. At the end of each visit, I'd turn up the corners of my mouth and say, "Keep smiling."
The nurses who took care of her often commented that Ida was always smiling, cheerful and upbeat. She was the oldest person in the rest home, but she lifted everyone's spirits like a ray of sunshine. -- A PROUD NEPHEW IN MINNEAPOLIS
DEAR NEPHEW: What a wonderful tribute to your Aunt Ida. Her smile must have been contagious, because I smiled when I read your letter.