Three Quarters of a Century

Your eyes are still the colour of a moody sky; your blonde hair is natural (and you still have hair!) with only traces of white when your sideburns get long; you still walk tall, and only when you are incredibly overtired do I see a hint of your true age.

Age is an important number - not to remind us how much time we have left, but as a marker of the number of years lived, and I have never met anyone who has crammed as much living into their days/months/years as you.

I remember helping you with your resume post retirement, and after adding up all of the years of experience in the various posts you held, it looked like you were 102!

I have many reasons to be proud of you -- too many to list here. However I think I have told you before that I am most proud of the ways in which you continue to evolve. You are proof of someone who is getting better with each passing year. You live up to your notion of a life long learner and are interested in the world around you. Better than that -- you are continuously excited by the life around you, and express it.

This milestone birthday is especially poignant, not only because you are 75, but because this year you set your sights on, and pursued better health. In the process you earned back some quality years.

So today on your 75th birthday I want to thank you for more than half a century of hugs, unconditional love, and for challenging me to be all that I am meant to be. Thanks for your stories, debates and for sharing yourself freely and leaving nothing unsaid. Lastly, thank you for being here.

And for that I am supremely grateful.