Betty Hayward celebrates her 70th birthday with a Garden Party surrounded by family and friends. The gala was held on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at Boyd Hill Nature Trail Park. Each invitee brought a plant that described Betty in one word.

Friends that attended were an assortment of former POC co-workers, Lake Vista Walkers, and Elim Seventh Day Adventist church members among others. Everyone had a great time.

The group played several games that centered around the party honoree. One game entitled 'How Well Do You Know Betty'. In this game the group had to provide answers about Betty's life. The next game was 'Stump Betty' in this game Betty had to answer questions posed by her guest.

Each participant was given a nice token gift for their participation and correct answers.

The major entertainment event was the presentation of the Friendship Garden. Each person introduced themselves, told how long they had known Betty and how the one word they selected described the honoree. This was the best! The words were cute, funny and touching. In the end we had a table full of flowers and a string of words that appropriately described Betty. Participants were told to keep it to one sentence, but we soon found out that no one could describe Betty with only one word or sentence. Some of the words used were: beautiful, kind, sweet, Christlike, funny, fun, vibrant, survivor, role model, smart, intelligent, giving and unforgettable, etc.

Hats off to Mack her husband of 50 years and her daughter Sofia Forte who always surpass our palette's expectation. The food was delicious which we have come to expect ANNUALLY. The party menu included: Fresh Strawberry and Pineapple Slushs, Herbal Raspberry Tea, Garden Fresh Tossed Salad, Spring Cole Slaw, Southern Grits, Spanish Yellow Rice with Rich Vegetarian Black Beans (my favorite), Piping Hot Farm Fed Fried Fish with Highly Seasoned Hush Puppies. Homemade decadent desserts: Sweet Strawberry Cake, Georgia Peach Cobbler, Golden Pecan Cake, Buttery Pound Cake and Glacier Coconut Cake. What a spread!

In summary, it was determined that the many friendships and relationships formed in 70 years are just like a garden, some require more care and feeding than others, however, they intertwines and make us who we are to Betty and who she is to us.

Enjoy some of the Garden Party photos: