Danville woman celebrates her 108th birthday

Danville, Va. (WSET) - It's a little difficult for many of us to imagine celebrating a 108th birthday, but a woman in Danville is doing it.

Avicia Thorpe shared her secrets about becoming one of the oldest women in Danville and the world.

When you're with Avicia Thorpe, poetry is on her mind and she can't help sharing it with you; she has a quick sense of wit and a knack for words.

Thorpe celebrated her 108th birthday on April 16th.

She says healthy living, poetry, and the power of prayer have paved the way for her 108 years of life.

"I took the best possible care of my body, of myself," says Thorpe, "and the rest of course is in God's hands"

In 1932, Thorpe wrote her first poem called "The Miracles of a Smile" when she was just 24 years old.

She keeps a binder with that poem along with the 70 others she has written throughout the years..

She said, "Recently, I realized that is a gift, a gift I could both keep and share with others."

Her love of poetry began at Langston High school where Thorpe was a teacher for 33 years.

Thorpe has no biological children of her own, but after her husband passed away in 1963 her family started growing through the children and adults she has informally adopted both in America and abroad.

She has traveled to all 6 continents.

Thorpe read some of her poetry saying, "as I think of various experiences that I've had from day to day I realize how wonderfully blessed I've been all along the way. As I try to count my blessings naming them one by one I say to God be the glory for all that he has done."

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