I believe that my mom has no true understanding that I'm a real lawyer.  I believe that my mom still looks at me as if I were 21 years old.  I believe that my mom thinks I handle cases as a law student: mock cases or cases that aren't serious.  I don't think my mom understands that I sometimes argue against opposing counsel, that scores of clients think of me as their lawyer, that I'm an independent attorney with my own caseload.  I think my mom still gets worried when I drive a car, thinking automatically that I'm going to speed or drive recklessly.  I don't think my mom believes that I speak Spanish, although I've traveled by myself to Spanish-speaking countries, some of my clients speak no English at all, but only Spanish, and on one occasion when I was a paralegal I actually interpreted from Spanish to English and vice versa for a judge in a court hearing.  I believe that my mom has no real understanding of all the experiences I've had in my life, because she's never taken the time to ask, and when I do recount an experience, she tends not to listen very closely, if at all.  I don't think my mom realizes how many books I've read, and thus how many different points of view I've considered, how many stories I've experienced vicariously through the letters on a page and the pages in a book.  I believe that, by not realizing this, or even considering this, my mom believes that her judgment, by virtue of her age, is superior to mine, although she has read very little over the course of her lifetime, and still does not make reading a priority.  I believe that my mom has no idea how good a lawyer I really am.  I believe that my mom's opinion of my personality is largely focused on my negative qualities, or in other words, on my weaknesses.  I bet that if my mom had to list my three greatest strengths, she would struggle to list any, let alone name three qualities with confidence.

The beats were beating, and the ground was shaking
The rain was falling, and the earth was quaking
The earth had been dormant, but now it was awaking.
From time to time, life goes through changes
Things will stay the same until everything rearranges.
Those who survive must be able to react
          must be able to adjust
          roll with the punches
          do what they must
The purpose of life is to live until we die
          to struggle, to try
Generations will pass as the sun rises and falls
without justice, courage is weak
society is structured on the bases of laws
a more perfect world being the object we seek
And so the beat goes on
whether we feel it or not
the earth keeps revolving
for good or for naught.
The wheel in the sky keeps on turning
the fire in our heart keeps on burning
the desires in our soul keep on yearning
the young ones behind us keep on learning
things go up, things go down
one is a genius, the other is a clown
i'm made to feel like a fool
try as we may, our feelings will always rule

Dear Pito,

Happy 65th birthday!  I've enclosed a gift card with a $100.00 value.  You simply have to open the package, pull out the card, and you can use it wherever Visa is accepted.  I suggest you use it for gas or groceries, but of course its use is ultimately up to you.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to suggest that you use the occasion of your birthday, especially seeing that its your 65th, as a prime chance for self-reflection.  Others would say -- and others have in fact said -- that, at age 65, you are set in your ways, and thus I should accept you as you are, without question and without any expectation of change.

I strongly, yet respectfully, disagree.  I believe any person, every person, of any age, should hold themselves accountable and recognize how their words and actions effect those around them, particularly those closest to them.  I believe a person has not just the ability, but the obligation, to grow and improve oneself and improve their quality of life, particularly by improving the quality of their relationships.  I believe that the opposite viewpoint -- that these moral obligations do not continue as long as one is alive and well -- is a selfish one and essentially a moral cop-out, with profound effects to that person and those around him or her.  Thus, with that being said, I ask with all respect that you recognize the milestone of your 65th birthday as a key opportunity for self-reflection and growth, namely to challenge yourself to grow.

Finally, I'll just say briefly that I feel very disappointed that you apologize to Jessica for her inclusion on emails, without apologizing to me for blowing me off when we had set plans.  You apologize to the person who was not even hurt by the whole episode; and you don't apologize to the person who was.

Love,