My father turns seventy today. This post is to publicly congratulate him on seven decades of life. Felicidades, papa. Con mucho amor te escribo esto (ya que no deje suficiente tiempo para mandartelo por correo tradicional).
I'd just like to comment that my father has spent seven decades living a life that many today perhaps might find challenging. When he decided to embark on an intercultural career and lifestyle, he effectively chose to de-prioritize what most people increasingly consider most important: accumulating money and acquiring things--riches, material goods and shiny objects. My father, bless him, has consistently lived by a set of principles and values that almost seem anachronistic today. He is, for me and many others, a figure to be emulated, admired and loved.
Tambien, yo te quiero agradecer especialmente por haberme dado tanta libertad--y tanto apoyo, moral, emocional y material--para poder pensar, descubrir, explorar y aprender. Gracias por darme la oportunidad de poder desarrollar mis propias capacidades, de desarrollar mi intellecto y, sobre todo, de haber servido como ejemplo para mi y mi hermanita.
Te quiero, papa. Feliz Cumpleanos.
