Till 120 Years

My dear Friends
I am halfway there! In the Jewish tradition and also the Arabic tradition when you have a birthday you say to the person 'Till 120 years!'. This presumably refers to the figures in the Bible who were purported to have lived that long, Moses being the most famous amongst them.

My own mother, God rest her beloved soul, lasted, and in good shape too, to 97 years. My friend Eva's mother mde it till 102 and we know that in the Caucasian mountains people live until 160. I have always thougth it was due to a combination of vodka and honey, both of which I take by the way.

Getting back to my 60th birhtday, which I celebrated yesterday on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, so it was even more special, in the Korean tradition 60 is the most important age of all. I am not sure why. I think of life as a play, with successive ages or decades as different acts in the play. Now surely 60 is coming up to the curtain on the final act, whether the act lasts one year or thirty seven as in my mother's case. I have a feeling that these years may be the most fulfilling of my life. and so far I have had an interesting and adventurous life.

I have only one unfulfilled ambition, apart from seeing my friends again in Amsterdam. That is to go the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I listen to it on the radio, and enjoy the intervals, when a very friendly lady gives credit to everyone from the Producer down to the cleaner. I love the Americans and their country and the fact that they are so egalitarian. So I have collared a close Polish friend of mine and virtually extraced a promise from her that we will 'do' New York together sometime in the coming years.

I celebrated my birthday by starting on Saturday with a group of diverse friends, food and drink. Yesterday I went to Mass, where grace was poured out and I felt overwhelmed by the love of it all. In the afternoon more friends came round, and also in the evening.

I have a friend who celebrated her 60th birthday for the whole year. So watch this space!

Love and shalom
Sister Gila