6.29 Day 24 Cats, a Bird and a 99-year-old

Agnes will be 100 years old in December. She's Bertha's cousin, and was like her sister when they grew up together in Minnesota's German community of Giese.
We went to visit today. Agnes lives ALONE, yes alone. Son Jim lives about a half hour away, and was there tilling the garden when we arrived. Until recently, a young couple - relatives - had lived with Agnes, but they recently moved away.
The house is neat and brick, with a front step far too deep for anyone over 65. Cats ran through the raspberry bushes and along the apple trees. Agne's bed is in the living room. We barely could see her there, curled and bony like a newborn deer. She didn't feel well today - unusual for her, said Jim. Perhaps she was so excited about our visit that she overdid it?
Throughout the conversation she listened and chimed in in her strong, clear voice from time to time. We offered a cookie; she ate it industriously - no teeth in while resting! She sat up a bit to drink some water, told me her "indoor" cats names: Molly and Dolly, and chimed in with comments on the conversations about relatives. I kept wishing she'd sit up and be perky, but she was a little foggy and sleepy. Her long grey hair was satiny, her tiny feet poking out from under the blanket. Agnes was always a very small woman; at this age she weighs only 84 pounds!
We left a trail of prayers and even a few teardrops as we drove away. Will this be the last time? The strength and fortitude of this tiny, powerful woman can be felt miles away. God heal her, mend her, and when the time is right, give her safe passage.