The first female U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, passed away on March 23^rd at age eighty-four.  She came to the U.S. as a Czech refugee at age eleven.  An extraordinary woman and an inspiration, she was celebrated by many dignitaries in a memorial service last week.

While I don’t aspire to be Secretary of State, I do have my own role model for successful aging. Until she passed away at age ninety-nine about a year ago, this extraordinary mother of a friend never complained.  She was cheerful and positive despite having lost one son to AIDS and seeing a second son diagnosed with early Parkinson’s Disease.

She had friends of all ages, including me.  For some reason, she would send Peter and me a gift Thanksgiving package every year. One time, she did allow me to take her to lunch.

I miss my role model.