Perze is 36 today.
We invited the praise team over last Saturday for a small dinner. I wish I could have invited all his friends, but everyone’s pretty much scattered and the rain was merciless. He also doesn’t like huge parties, just maybe small parties here and there where the conversation isn’t subject to small talk and impersonal hellos.
Today, per request of the birthday boy, we stayed in so he can rest. He’s always commuting for the majority of the week, so resting isn’t the norm for him. But we were able to go out for dinner, just our family.
I wish his birthday was longer. I wish I could really pamper him. I make more wishes on his birthday than he does. But the wishes are for him because I know he’d never make them for himself. That’s who he is. If you ask him to describe who he was, for the most part, a lot of it would contain the names he loves the most, and it’s probably because he’d say, aside from God, he is himself because of me or his daughters, his family…
But the Perze that stands alone, the man I’ve come to know and admire, is unconditionally loving and giving to people. He is honest and doesn’t flatter people for the sake of being liked. He is incredibly helpful, and knowledgeable, resourceful and quick to adapt. His integrity is evident and wisdom fair. He is admirably intelligent and learns efficiently, responsible and logical. He knows how to speak in public, laugh heartily with children, and joke around like a teenager. He’s humble, musical, and comic. All these.
And most of all, he loves my Jesus in a way that makes me love him more. It’s the way I see him loving our daughters. It makes me love him more. It’s the way I see him loving serving. It makes me love him more. It’s the way I see him loving people. It makes me love him more.
That’s why I wish his birthday was a little bit longer … because I know he deserves it.
Happy birthday mahal.
I am blessed by you and I love you always.
ps. in behalf of our family, we really really super duper thank those that came out to help us celebrate. It ended up being a night of memories and belly laughs. God bless you for blessing Perze’s life with support, love, sushi, and red velvet ice cream cake. 🙂
