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Birthday Wishes

A wonderful birthday surprise included weekend time
with UCLA nieces and nephews!
The wonders of social media sometimes outweigh the burdens of interconnected living. Birthdays are a good example. Before Facebook, birthdays were an affair requiring planning to gather friends and to share the moment. For those who have lived in different parts of the world and have friends scattered about, this is difficult to accomplish. 

Perhaps my reflection is intensified by the fact that my wife is also traveling for business on this day, but I don't feel entirely alone. Starting early in the morning, birthday wishes started to arrive - first from Asia, then Europe, then rolling into the US (east coast, central time, west coast). By noontime here in DC, I had a collection of messages from friends near and far, close and distant, that comprised my own journey through family, school, work, and interests. The wonder comes from reflecting on the fact that all these people and all the memories they represent  comprise a life that is always present and always ready to take off if you let it.

For these birthday wishes and for these memories, I am grateful. I pray for the opportunity to follow this beautiful journey and carry many more connections to even greater bounties for many years to come.
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