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,