When I was six I remember I got a poster at the mall for the wall in my room.  I think it was the first one I ever had.  It was of Miss Piggy with long, curly blonde hair and she was holding roses.  I’d always assumed she’d won a beauty pageant.  I kept that poster up for almost a decade.  I loved her strength and confidence and watched “The Muppet Show” faithfully with my folks each week.  I still have my silk jacket from the fourth grade that says, “C’est moi!” on the back of it.  I also loved that she knew karate but she was still feminine and spoke French.  I was too little to see her self centered, egotistical side and just took the traits I admired in her.  Today I realize I speak French and have been to Paris, I was in the Miss Texas U.S.A. pageant, I keep my hair longer and curly, and I finally started taking karate.  Kind of crazy.  This was my first belt testing ceremony.  I think I shocked my instructor when he asked what made me want to do martial arts and my answer was “Miss Piggy”.  But there you have it.  I started something I wanted to do my whole life almost 40 years later.  And I am proud to say I was awarded my yellow belt.  My husband and my daughter were there watching me and I hope I made them proud.  I wish my folks could have been there.  I want to set an example my daughter will follow.  Never stop learning; never stop trying; never stop aspiring.  I do not have a deep, meaningful quote this evening.  Rather, I think I will close with the song I associate most with Frank Sinatra:

“Young at Heart”

Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you’re young at heart.
For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you’re young at heart.

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes.
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.
And life gets more exciting with each passing day.
And love is either in your heart, or on it’s way.

Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart.
For as rich as you are, it’s much better by far
To be young at heart.

And if you should survive to 105,
Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive!
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart.