A little toast

Dear friends,

Thank you for coming to my birthday party or else known as the 25^th Anniversary. Thanks for your gifts, your drinks, your cards, your wishes, your company. I had to wait 25 years for this day and it was totally worth it, being without any exaggeration, the best celebration up until now. I only hope you enjoyed as much my version of Greek hospitality. I also want to publicly thank my parents and grandmother – it is kind of their day too- for they undoubtedly deserve this gratitude. After what they have been though last year, my first-time-open appreciation is the least I can do. This wouldn’t be possible without their continuous support, encouragement and undeniable love.

It is customary to reflect upon the events of the past year, both sad and joyful. This year taught me some serious lessons about human relationships. I deeply realized how my actions shape the feelings of people surrounding me, a fact that in this highly stressful world I was persistently inclined to ignore. I always content that maturity and wisdom don’t necessarily come with age, they come from claiming individual responsibility and recognizing that happiness is achieved through simply sharing with others. So this is me formally accepting the last statement on record. As for the new days ahead, I will just quote: “I will try again, I will fail better”.

Finally, I cannot but sorrowfully notice that yesterday another deadly attack against humanity has stained history books. I fear that the rising hatred, fanaticism, xenophobia and bigotry are the four steps to damnation of all the values we struggled to hold dear. To that regard, I have to say that our yesterday’s gathering was not merely to have fun, it served as a vivid proof that people from around the globe with different beliefs, with alternative perspectives have one thing in common: they know how to respect and cherish one another.

Yours sincerely,

Α.Δ.