Dear acquaintances,

I take this time to express my heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful birthday wishes I have received over the past 24 hours expressing healthy wishes on my 65th birthday. I am not able to individually respond to every one of you so I am taking this time to let you know what you mean by your acknowledging my birthday on LinkedIn.

It truly meant a lot to me that so many people whom I do not get a chance to speak to on regular bases took their time to acknowledge this special milestone in my life, after all it only comes once.

Your kind words, warm wishes, and thoughtful gestures made my day extra special and brought a big smile to my face as Miriam, my wife and I acted like kids all day long. It’s heartwarming to know that people are willing to take a moment and extend well wishes and care at such a time.

So it is I wish to respond in the following manner. Miriam and I have been together for some 28 years now. We playfully joke that we are married 30 years, which to me, has come and gone in a blink of an eye. If you want to know what she thinks…ask her.

A birthday is more than a moment in time as it marks when we were birthed into this world and for some, a short time, we have been allowed to express life. Good or bad, happy and most assuredly, sad, we make our way through life’s challenges. I have learned up until now life is certainly what we make it. How we interpret every moment and it is certainly true our interpretation, our perspectives are crafted by each moment which becomes our reality. I wish that you can craft a life that is on purpose. I wish that you continue to seek out that which excites you in the darkest moments of your life. I wish that you identify with that external force that is so much more than the moments of the physical identity of things man-made.

To those that have contributed in good and not-so-nice ways in my life, Thank You. To Rosemarie, the banker a consummate master of helping us to stay informed about the nuances of making a simple transition pleasant and educational for that next visit. For Amir, the gas attendant who shares a moment of cultural richness simply because we ask him how his day is and what his thoughts are on issues of the world. The young man at Ralth’s Market talks about how meat is cured, reminding me of my Saturday shopping back in London when I stayed with my father for the summers. Thank you to Sal, Martha and Jarzees at Wegmans with whom merchandising, product availability and access to what we want is more than just a ‘when will it be here’ kind of conversation. They are touch points in the life cycle of the goods we acquire that form pleasant memories in our life.

Thank you to Linda and Paul, (not their real names as they are Korean) owners of the dry cleaners who share their grief about their daughter being divorced and the cultural challenges of raising their granddaughter in a changed world. Thank you to Mack, a gentleman I met on a contract some years ago. Who knew the conversations we had then ripple into our lives today with the ‘HATE’ expressed by so many? How can we arrest this sense of insecurity that is so pervasive in our societies today so that tomorrow we can have a more healthy conversation that is meaningful? For Gerry and Chris at Undercover hot-rod mechanics who have helped us transform our 2001 Chevy Silverado into a ‘burn rubber kinda truck’, without mortgaging the home, fun truck to drive.

To Joan the Librarian who re-instilled my passion for the library and its resourcefulness at my fingertips – online access to data that I would have to walk to the library as a kid. To Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Kent County, Delaware reminded me of the tall grass in the back of my parent’s home in London which we ran through as kids. Can you feel it? The guitarists playing hearing the skin of their fingers across the strings on vinyl, an emotional engagement. These are but some memories that have brought me to this point in my life and which propel me forward in Hopes of many more.

To and for Miriam for being apart of my life and conributing in ways I would never imagine I ask, may I have 28 more years?

So I ask you to remind yourself what experiences keep you going. What perspectives have you crafted that help you to have a healthy outlook on life? I believe if we so choose we can mould our life’s birthdays into meaningful moments that are uniquely our own.

I believe, birthdays are milestones in our lives that should reflect how we engage with one another. Our intent certainly drives perspective as life responds to our contributions. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my journey, my 65th birthday a truly memorable one. I feel just like the little boy who ran dreamingly thorugh the grass in the back of my parents safe home without a care in the world. I am fortunate to have the ability to remian in the game of Life!

Ronald