‘God is good’ as senior citizen marks 22nd actual birthday

Today marks Alveda Johnson’s 22nd actual birthday though she will really be turning 88.

In a Gleaner interview, the elder, who was born in a leap year, said she continues to be marvelled by God’s grace and His decision to spare her life year after year.

In fact, Johnson – the last of her parents’ 11 children – was an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy.

“She got married when she was 19 and my father was 21, and every year was a child, but [later on] she did not expect another child,” Johnson explained as in addition to this, her mother was 45 years old at the time she gave birth to her, an age when women are at increased risk of experiencing pregnancy complications.

Johnson, who resides in the district of Lambert in Goshen, St Elizabeth, is the sole survivor among her siblings and parents as they all died years ago. Her eldest sister died at 99.

When asked what makes her birthday celebrations special each year, Johnson, a retired teacher and nurse at St Elizabeth Technical High School, stated: “I am very fortunate. I can celebrate the 28th of February, or March 1 or wait every four years for February 29.”

Every four years there is a leap year, which adds an additional day to the calendar, making it 366 days instead of 365. Due to the Earth’s orbital period of 365.25 (or 365 ¼) days, to ensure that the seasons occur at the same time each year, the leap year and leap day were formally introduced in 1582 through the Gregorian calendar.

Persons born on Leap Day, February 29, are typically referred to as ‘leaplings’ or ‘leapers’.

Reportedly, around five million people worldwide were born on February 29, and there is a one in 1,461 chance that a pregnant woman who is due in February will give birth on Leap Day.

Johnson is a member of the Santa Cruz Seventh-day Adventist Church and was baptised into the faith at age 13. She said she has a wonderful relationship with her church brethren, and each year, she looks forward to her birthday being extra spectacular as they always ensure to bring good cheer and have a get-together for her.

Though she served as a wedding coordinator, Johnson never married but has adopted many children from her community.

“The amount of adopted children and great-grandchildren that I have, sometimes I say if pictures, telephone numbers, and children were money, I would be three, four times a billionaire. They all are very caring, and they call, and they visit and the prayers and handouts, I’m telling you, God is good,” she said.

In her free time, Johnson writes poetry and novels and frequently sings, sews, and recites. She also used to do some amount of dressmaking and was also coordinator for the Social Graces Club at her church.

She said that though God has blessed her with these gifts, it has never been proper for one to brag about one’s talents because humility is a valuable quality to have in life.

From as early as 4:30 in the morning, Johnson is up and about, ready to start her daily routine, following her devotion and breakfast. She explained that, surprisingly, despite her old age, she is quite energetic and capable of doing many things on her own.

It was some time after 3 p.m. when The Gleaner spoke with her and she had already completed cleaning every room in her five-bedroom house, including the kitchen, bathrooms, veranda and carport, by herself. She had also finished sweeping around her property and washing and folding numerous loads of laundry.

“Well, God is good. You know, one of the things I kept asking is why is He so good to me because I do not deserve His goodness,” she said.

But she remains thankful that even at such a mature age, she can still get around, take care of household tasks, do her own shopping and that her “memory is not too bad at all”.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com