I’ve been traveling for most of my birthday, returning to Brussels after two weeks in the U.S. with my husband and kids to be with some of our family and friends. As I enter into my 44th year on this beautiful planet of ours, I am mindful both that it was in her 44th year that my mother was killed and that in this last year of her life, she demonstrated fierce courage in the face of a brutal dictatorship. She will always be a guiding light for me.

Every year is again an invitation to let our lives express our deepest beliefs.

So… No excuses. No lies. No crutches. Just courage to face what is there, to nurture what is desired and to be who is required.

My gratitude to all of you, brothers and sisters, for your presence, your friendship, your many acts of kindness. May I be able to repay you in kind and to pay it forward.