Mireilles 57th birthday

Birthday number 57 — the 40th on the list since I've had the privilege of knowing you, and 35 since we became a couple. These have been the most wonderful years of my life, Mireille. And whether the future before us is long or short, sharing it with you is the true fulfillment of my finest dreams.

Who — not even we — could have imagined the life these years could shape for us? Without ignoring the bumps along the way, or the material goals that we may have come up short on, I still can’t imagine a version of life that could have given us more real, fundamental life value than the one that we share together with each other today.

Mireille, the older we grow, the more meaningful each of these milestones should become. Each birthday carries greater weight than the one before. And the more candles on the cake, the more rare, unique and precious that year truly has been — because with every increasing number, the fewer are given that gift.

Wishing you the best today ... and the very best for all the days and years that your tomorrows (and mine) may hold..