Happy birthday, Colleen!

My mother-in-law turned 80 years old today. Although she isn't the reason why many people have the day off, it is appropriate nonetheless.

You see, Colleen is the type of person we need to honor in this country. She is an original self-made woman.

Not self-made in the usual sense. Colleen was never a big-time salesperson who started her own company and made a gazillion dollars. Instead, she did something I would argue is more important. She worked at being a good mom and wife and worked hard at being there for her kids when they needed her ... even though they sometimes didn't know it.

She is a woman of terrific accomplishment, like being the valedictorian of her high school class when it was unusual for a woman to do so.

When her husband died several years ago, she quietly went out and acquired a driver's license. She didn't use it a lot. But it was there when she needed it. When she finally sold her car earlier this year, the dealer marveled at how clean it was ... and how good the parts were in it.

We have probably played 40 games of Scrabble together. The Detroit Lions and I have something in common here -- neither of us can claim a victory in our field of combat. The closest I got was a tie broken when she had the last word ... literally.

She has looked illness and heartbreak in the mouth and knocked it sideways. She did this with a matter-of-fact attitude so common in this area ... and to people of the greatest generation.

More importantly, she always did it smartly but with a light touch when needed.

When they say they don't make 'em like they used to, they are right. But there's a good reason for that. Class isn't easy to duplicate