Hero of the Week - Erma Smith

The best of birthday wishes go out to my Grandma Erma who turns 90 years young on March 13th. This past Saturday, we celebrated by giving her a touching, funny and inspirational banquet at the Proud Bird restaurant near LAX.

Highlights of the day included:

• Her daughters Dolores and Vanessa, along with other friends, getting their boogie on.
• Photos and good times with the family
  
  Grandma Erma and my Dad

• A joke from "Aunt Flossie" that I didn't get on video. (Aunt Flossie happens to be a male family friend who dresses in drag... a guy who just happens to run the local funeral parlor... yeah, it's just best not to even ask.)

  A woman walks into church with her 8 daughters. Once the doors open for church, anyone who wants can go to the front, and give themselves to the Lord. When the pastor asked who would like to come to the front and give themselves to the Lord, all eight girls went up there.
  
  The girls lined up in a row, and the pastor asked the first one, "What's your name little girl?" She responded, "Shaquita!". The pastor asked the second girl, "And what's your name?" The second girl replied "Shaquita!". The pastor said, "Your name is Shaquita too?" The girl said, "Yup!" So the pastor kept going down the line asking the girls their name. And all the girls replied with "Shaquita!"
  
  So the pastor called out to the back, "Could the mother of these children please come forward?" The woman comes before the pastor. The pastor asks, "These are your children?" "Yes pastor." she replied. "And they're all named Shaquita?" "Yes pastor." Bemused, the pastor asks, "Well what do you do if you need to get just one of the child's individual attention?"
  
  Without hesitation the mother replied, "I just call them by their last name."

All in all, it wasn't as dry of an event as I expected. Lots of laughs, and I got to see many family members who I never get to see. Too many times, we come together as family only at funerals (this is why I recognized Aunt Flossie.) It's good to let people know how you feel about them while they're still with you. As they say, a party costs less than a grave. Love you Grandma, Erma... Happy Birthday!