Turning 16 years old is unquestionably a big deal!  It has to be very close to the most significant birthday of what hopefully will be many more to follow! The singularity of one’s important birthday can however be more than the day itself.  Birthdays – like other experiences in life – acquire their significance not only from what they are but also from what they are not. It especially behooves one on his or her sixteenth birthday to set into motion the transition from youth to adulthood. While this may not fulfill the ambition for a welcome prize or gift upon turning 16, permit me to advance that there is no greater beneficence than the encouragement to accept life’s struggles and to make the very best of them you can. Curiously the unwelcome and unanticipated evolution of events can miraculously shift into what are the most memorable. And let there be no mistake, your memory of the day will far outlast any other gift!

“A sweet sixteen is a coming of age party celebrating a teenager’s 16th birthday, mainly celebrated in the United States and Canada. As the name suggests, the celebration takes place on both boys’ and girls’ sixteenth birthdays. While some families throw huge, lavish celebrations, others choose to celebrate the birthday as if it were a normal occurrence. This event can be formal, casual, or semi-formal.

Traditionally it is common that sweet sixteens are mostly celebrated by girls, but they can also be celebrated by boys who tend to celebrate with their friends on an informal basis. Sweet sixteens can range from modest parties at home with close family to large parties with a hired DJ, makeup, hair styling, expensive gowns and dresses, and hotel ballrooms. Even if it is a small party, the main purpose of the party is to celebrate the person becoming “older” and entering a different stage of their life.“

It is a strange paradox of life that the well-intentioned platitudes are soon forgotten; whereas the unwelcome challenges linger. Normally we haven’t any particular control of what life serves us from moment to moment. But we do have control of our reaction to what we are served. This obviously requires a level of scrutiny and sophistication which transcends the customary visceral reaction to events. The object is discovery not merely endurance. Through depth of inquiry – and the expansion of ideas flowing from the waters through which we may inadvertently stride – we are enabled to heighten the reality. Hidden among the channels of communication there may exist unparalleled revelations. Life is certainly not superficial only!

Happy 16th Birthday, Analise –
And many happy returns of the day!
From two old fogeys, Billy and Denis
Hugs & Kisses