'Trust in the Lord and keep your bowels moving': Sask. senior has sage advice on 109th birthday
For Alma Miller, 108 was a lockdown birthday, but on Wednesday she marked her 109th year with family.
To celebrate the milestone, the former Grade 2 teacher’s daughter LaVonne Graham and Centennial Special Care Home, where Miller lives in Langenburg, planned a parade.
Seventeen cars and a firetruck drove past Miller and her daughter, waving and dropping off cards.
Alma Miller's daughter organized a parade for her 109th birthday. (Kaylyn Whibbs/CTV News)
"It's so heartfelt,” said Carol Schaab, recreation director at the centre. “Last year was a really tough, tough year and she's just shining today."
Graham was happy to be able to celebrate with her mom and a few other family members this year. After the parade, the family was able to gather outdoors for a lunch with Miller's favourite summer sausage.
"For this occasion, we value it because we get to visit catch up on news, of our families and what our children are doing, grandchildren," said Graham.
The milestone is one Miller said comes once in a lifetime. Those close to her say she still has her edge, even with 109 years under her belt.
"Her tenacity and her love for life is just incredible," said Schaab, adding she was the first one to roll a ball down the lane at the new bowling alley in town.
Miller said her secret to a long life may be surprising.
“…Trust in the Lord and keep your bowels moving," she said.
Miller still has a love for chocolate and beer, which her family says may also be part of the secret.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.