Mid-days With Lauree

America’s oldest person is a Texan who turned 115 years old last week, and she offered a single tip on how to live a long, happy life: “Speak your mind and don’t hold your tongue.” She added, “I just thank the good Lord that I’m here.’” Ms. Elizabeth Francis of Houston — who has lived through everything from World War I to the sinking of the Titanic — celebrated her birthday last Thursday with two slices of vanilla cake.Ms. Francis was born in Louisiana in 1909 and raised her now-95-year-old daughter as a single mother, ran a coffee shop in Houston and preferred walking over driving. The spunky supercentenarian was alive during the Great Depression, the first airplane flight across the Atlantic and 20 presidents from William Howard Taft to Joe Biden.Ms. Francis is the fourth-oldest person in the world, according to LongeviQuest. https://longeviquest.com/atlas/livingHappy Birthday Ms. Francis!