The birthday bird from Katroo visited me this year in the form of my sweet daughters who reached out to 60 of my friends and asked them simply to, “…please write a little something to my mother. It can be whatever you want. There are no rules.”

What came back was a magical mystery tour of love and memories from friends, family, former colleagues, neighbors, and well, fans and “social network” connections from all over the world. It was completely surprising and deeply moving.

What a beautiful, selfless gift of love.

The hardest, and most gut-wrenching letters to read were the ones from my three children whom I love so much.

One of the letters included my inscription next to my high school yearbook photo where in the caption I had stated my ambition was to have money, regardless.

Ha. That makes me laugh today. Indeed, I made a lot of money in my life. Maybe more than some in my high school class. But, at the last juncture where I could have made a lot more, and achieved financial security, I literally walked away from it. Took a different path. Disappointing all my atheist friends, it reminds me of a biblical quote:

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”

1 Corinthians 13 : 11

We’re only on this planet a short while. If you feel the need to invest in something, invest in the character and integrity of your children. That time and energy will pay dividends in the Universe for generations to come.

And if you don’t have children, (probably better considering the state the planet is in), consider ways you might endeavor to change the world for the better.

Apparently, people really appreciate you for trying this, and they are very happy to wish you the very happiest of birthdays.