Happy happy happy birthday to one of the most

wonderful girls I know. Although our time together was short (you can only blame your mom and me for not getting our acts together sooner), you really impressed me with your spirit.

Your spirit strengths are your creativity, patience, diligence, kindness, empathy and generosity. We can hardly believe you will be celebrating 13. Wishing Jing, Steve and I were there to shower you with birthday love and hugs on your special day. I’ve enclosed a pic of me at 13. It’s a group photo from junior high. Can you pick me out? 13 is no different than any other age. It’s just a number. But somehow it’s a number that starts to open your solo path. It’s your path and journey to take. If I may share a few tips as you take these next steps…

– Be you. Remember who you are and what you stand for. Sometimes it can get lost in the noise of peers but be true to who you are.

– Find your passion in life. If you are fortunate enough to find this, then stick to it. You will find a way to “make a living” and life will be very full. It won’t be easy as anything in life that you want to succeed in must take time and effort (and a lot of sweat and failure mixed in with some tears)

– It’s okay to fail. Ask any leader, business person, artist, academic and they have all experienced roadblocks and failures. But it truly is those experiences that set you up for being ready for the next opportunity which will rocket you to success!

– Work hard. It’s that simple. Every champion must put in the time. There are no short cuts.

– Never give up. Persevere, especially in those moments that are excruciating.

– Ask Questions.

– You only have one life to live, so live it to the best that you are able!

– And one tip when you are older or even perhaps now… when you have a doubt about something/ someone, listen to your instinct. “When there is a doubt, there is not doubt”

– Love & relationships. Expect to get your heartbroken (but when you look back, you will laugh at yourself 🙂 I did and still do but that adds color to your life) but it is these heart breaks that may feel overwhelming. Only thing to remember is there is Tomorrow.

Time heals EVERYTHING, the pain will subside. You just need the time to heal. Also, be Independent. Don’t be or become fully dependent on your partner. Life can take sudden changes. Your independence is alluring and exciting and commands respect from everyone around you.

We love you very much Thalia! And from now and until whenever, if you ever need an ear or insight, you can always call upon me. I’m happy to listen and provide guidance. Enjoy your birthday and savor LIFE! And appreciate your parents. You have an amazing mother and father.

Auntie Helen

PS. Were you able to find me? I’m the one with the stripes on the arms. This is a photo of me when I was elected Treasurer of my entire junior high school. After this role, I went on to run and win Vice President of the student body 🙂 When I look back, I can’t believe I had the audacity to make 3 public speeches (I had to speak to 7th, 8th and 9th graders) and campaign! Don’t ask me what my platform was or what my speech was about…lol. I do remember my mom helped me make some very cool stickers that my friends and I passed out to the entire student body over the course of a week.