Dear Ruth,

    Turning fifty is not about growing old. It is about being fulfilled, realizing goals and facing more challenges in our lives. It is about adding more roles to the numerous roles we have played or are still playing in this big stage called the world. As we approach the turn of a new page in our lives, we can feel the anxiety, joy and excitement of being fifty. There is still the same feeling that seeks to capture the spirit of a certain age, the age when we were once gawky and awkward boys and girls trying hard to be adults, dreaming our dreams and sharing visions of our future. Now, we look forward to more excitement as we approach a new chapter in oiur lives.

    Ruth, my dear friend, I would like to say that your friendship is a most precious gift from God. We have been friends for thirty seven (37) years now and that friendship has grown through the years. You have been a good friend to me and to our  other friends. A friend is someone I can turn to when I need help, someone with whom I can really be myself. She is someone who comforts me when I am scared, sad, alone and confused, someone who laughs and cries with me. You are all these and more. You are a true friend, a loving and caring friend.

    And so, my dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you. (3 John 1:2) Happy Birthday! Golden Girl.
 
                                                                                                                                          Lovingly yours,

                                                                                                                                         Girlie E. de Leon
 
 

                                                        
                                                                 The Flores family on vacation in Hawaii.