PASSAGES

To my dearest husband,

I do not know how to begin this greeting as you know I am not one who express my feelings so openly and verbally like a book but I think it is about time I should on the occasion of your birthday.For all the years,we have spent together , I would like to thank you for your courage in taking me on and hanging on with me.I realize I can be a little difficult to live with at times and I sure have put you to the test even surpassing your limits. I had taken you for granted completely disregarding the caring,patient,kind and so rational, you. Honey, I may not have expressed it and made it clear to you but I want you to know that you had been a rock like Gibraltar that I can lean on when I was at my wits end. You always see the bright side of every challenging situation. Not once did you give up on me when you should have. A lot of men would have given up so easily but your incredible positive attitude didn't cave in.I had gotten away with murder ,to say the least but you kept it all together and held on. I thank you for your impeccable gift of spiritual grounding that has kept both of us solid all through the years. Without you leading the pack, I doubt whether we would have made it this far.

You amaze me of your gentleness ,not only to me but to anybody.Not once do I recall you have anything bad to say about anyone. You have always rooted for me and for anyone because that is just the way you are.You always choose to see the good side of a person. I never heard you complain except when I re-arranged your thousand or so more books which drives me completely crazy. By the way, you amaze with your extremely sharp memory. You can memorize all the titles of the books and even the authors of the books that you own.

You are the epitome of kindness and gentleness. You literally cannot hurt a fly.This reminds me of one of our weekend trips to Santa Cruz Ca where we took all the rides in the boardwalk and a woman who looked shabby and homeless stopped and asked both of us " will you love me if I was a butterfly? " Honey, you are not just any butterfly that I love ,you are my MONARCH BUTTERFLY.

There had been numerous times ,I was very stubborn,making sure that I get my way all the time, acting as if what I think is the only thing that matters ,disregarding that you have something more valuable to say.I just turned a blind eye and shut you off. But yet, not once did you try to put me down.Instead ,all through the years , you continued to treat me like I was the most important person in your life. How is it that you can stay calm and composed even at my most unpleasant state? Nothing ruffles you ,nothing! Your calmness in the midst of my self provoking and self inflicting nonsense arguments towards you taught me a hard and fast lesson- Keep calm and everything will sort itself out.You cannot win by retaliation. Little did you know that without preaching me, I learned by your example.You succeeded in that.

It still feels like it was just like yesterday when we met and fatefully sat together on the plane 30 years ago.I was broken to pieces and a complete fiasco after coming out of an unpleasant relationship. I was not ready to meet you nor anybody.I turned down your every invitation.I was determined not to fall into the same situation that I was in but you persisted, carried on and you finally won. I did not answer your phone calls but how can I turn down your 10th dinner invitation? Truthfully, part of the reason I accepted is, I thought you are decent looking,have quite a bit of finesse ,quite polished and down to earth.Not to mention your impeccable brains which you always downplay and hide.Egotistical on my part but I am such a sucker for men with brains probably because I was not endowed with a brain like yours.I cherish all the trips and places we have taken together,the little fights we had which you let me win anyway because you are resigned to the fact that with a formidable opponent like me,winning is a lost cause. You always opted and negotiated for peace.

I can never forget the first date you took me to- you took me shopping for clothes and shoes which is still a weakness for me even up to this day.I left you scratching your head as I continue to hoard and accumulate shoes,bags and clothes even after 29 years now and left our house bursting at the seams.After all, how can someone in her sanity justify owning hundred pairs of shoes,bags and clothes that she does not even wear because she has no opportunity to wear them? Even then , you didn't say a word about it.

Our honeymoon is one that I can still vividly remember.We flew to Paris and went around Europe for a whole month.Although Paris was the least favorite city for me at the time and still left a bitter taste in my mouth for memories I refuse to relive, you made me see Paris again in a different light.We had our portrait painted in Montmarte by a local street artist , a little cheeky but as I look at that portrait hanging in our living room, it reminds me how lucky I am to have been married to you.Honey, I hit the jackpot and I brought home the bacon. HAHAHAH! My question is , does that hold true to you as well? I leave you alone with your thoughts on that.HAHAHA.

Happy birthday, Love. I still hold the promise of till death do us part.

Your loving wife