In my October 30 blog entry I posted a photo of 94 year-old Velma Bryant-Smith during her recovery at a rehab center here in Metro Detroit. Velma is one of my favorites at the Hannan House Senior Learning Center where I've been working on a photo essay since mid-June. She's an active member of the gardening group, the art class and takes aerobics at the center twice a week. When I interviewed Velma in her apartment last July we also discovered that she and my mother were born one year apart in the same small town in North Carolina.

After two weeks in the hospital with pneumonia and three weeks at the rehab center regaining her ability to walk safely with her walker, Velma is now back at home in her apartment in a Detroit seniors' residence. She returned to her Hannan House classes last week and seems stronger than ever. May Velma continue to brighten our world for years to come.