50 With Wonderful Friends

June18
This is a Magical day. I didn't know I would enjoy it so much. Birthdays don't really mean that much to me but this one was very special because of the company who joined me today.

A week ago I got a surprise phone call from one of my dearest friends; Joyce. I lost track of her about three years ago. We used to get in all sorts of trouble when we were in the same spiritual group back in the late Seventies. I was a quiet respectful person before she came along. Don't let that oxygen tank fool you. She just needs it because she lives life faster than the rest of us. Joyce is a Gemini like me, with her birthday just two days before mine.

Ted is also a Gemini, with his birthday on May 26th. He's a loyal friend and I'm lucky to know him. He has been working with me on several construction projects here in Calgary.
The lovely woman beside him is Lilian. She is an energetic woman with a lust for life. She is a retired Art teacher and still does a lot of painting herself. She taught in Africa for 3 years. Lilian has lately become an expert 'Squirrel Catcher'. She's my landlady, and a great friend. The more I know Lilian, the more respect I have for her. It was really fun to see her and Joyce meet. Right from the get go the two began talking. It turns out that they have two friends in common. They carried on like long lost friends even though they only met today for the first time.

Around the table you can see my very dear friend and fellow conspirator; Malcome, on the far right. Next to him is my 'contiguous' friend, Geeta. You may remember Geeta from a couple of Blogs I did last year when Ted and I renovated her basement. She has made my reconnection with Calgary a wonderful experience. She got a call while we were having the party. She had a prospect for her house. It sold that same night for a great price. Now she's moving to Winnipeg to be closer to her family.

This is Belen. She just arrived a month ago from Hong Kong to work as Geeta's nanny. She's a warm gentle woman who has a great way with children. I'm sorry you're moving again so soon, before I have a chance to get to know you better. Be sure to email me. Remember you promised to show me around Manila when I visit the Philippines in the near future.

This is Scott. He's Kathy's daughter's partner. It's great to meet you Scott, but mostly I just wanted to show everyone your tattoos. Wow. I told Scott we have to do a Seminar on his tattoos one day soon. He has twenty-two of them. I'm only prepared to look at nineteen. Some things should be left to the imagination.

And here is my new son, Braden. He belongs to Christine and Scott (Sorry I don't have a photo of you here Christine.) Braden latched onto me when I arrived and stuck like glue.

I got everyone to sing Happy Birthday to me before I did the Japanese Cake ceremony with this very delicious Cake.

And this is the hostess behind the party. I have shown you Kathy before. She is 'Nanna' to her grandson Braden. He adores her. Kathy suddenly went blind last year. In fact she has experienced an amazing series of mind boggling events in the last couple of years. Two years ago her father died. Her daughter had life-threatening surgery. Her estranged husband died a few months ago, and her mother was diagnosed with Cancer on Christmas Eve and died 10 days later. The doctors didn't even know she was sick.
And yet, Kathy decided she wanted to throw me a party for my fiftieth birthday. She made all the arrangements, prepared the food, bought a barbecue and made sure everyone was taken care of. She's blind. She still works full time. She's cheerful. I'm honored to have you as a true friend Kathy. You made this day Magical. You're my hero.