Dear Gay,

On August 20, for your 60th birthday, I'm imagining a large group of your friends sitting around on a warm summer evening in a big circle with good food & spirits and telling stories about times spent together on previous occasions--funny, sweet, poignant, uproarious, and really anything that you are moved to share. Some of the stories would be about food, some about kids, some about teaching, some about friendships, some about nothing in particular other than times shared that are worth remembering.

Since it is not possible for me to have all of your friends here in person to celebrate with you, I thought the next best thing I could do is to get them to imagine that they were here for your 60th birthday, and think about what story they would tell. Or what recipe they would share. Or what book they are reading that they would want you to know about. Or anything in particular that they could say or do that would be their way of sharing a memory and a laugh with you.

Then, since they are so kind and love you so dearly, they wrote those stories/recipes/ books/poems down, including any photos that might go along with them to make them come to life, and sent them to me so that I could put together an album that I could present to you on your birthday, as if they were all here.

I thank your many friends for indulging me in this small pleasure of bringing to life the marvelous memories, stories and laughs that they have shared with you.

I hope you enjoy this celebration of your 60th birthday from your many friends and the wonderful memories that come along with it.

Love,
Philip