A longtime friend called to tell me that his wife had departed for heaven and in the course of our conversation paid her the ultimate compliment: “I never heard her say anything bad about anyone.”  I wasn’t surprised. Cutting down others would have been out of character for this quiet, compassionate woman and the compliment from her grieving husband only verbalized what many had known all along.

A milestone is a stone post at the side of the road to mark distances.

The word could also apply to a significant event in life.

This spring, graduates have achieved a milestone in their education.

Whether finishing high school or college studies, they have accomplished a milestone worthy of congratulations and celebration.