NOT everyone is fortunate to reach the milestone I achieved last March 21 to be exact.

You see I just completed my 7th decade in this physical world and for me, it is indeed a blessed milestone, with a lot of reasons for me to be thankful to the good Lord.

I had a week-long celebration actually as last weekend, my family treated my two older sisters and their families to an overnight stay in El Avuelo, a private resort in a wooded area in Baras, Rizal.

And just to be able to do that and be with my two sisters with our kids and grandchildren, that to me is big blessing .

The place was nice, the food was home cooked including a boodle dinner beside the pool, just to see everyone enjoying warmed my heart.

Never mind that I lost money in our pusoy game, I looked at it as sharing my blessings, just to lessen the pain of losing .

But that was only the first celebration.

My good friend Alex Wang of Wang’s Ballclub tendered a birthday dinner treat at his favorite Chinese restaurant in Mandaluyong, Han Pao, and to top it, it was not just a treat for me but for our entire team from the Philippine Sports Commission, including Commissioner Fritz Gaston, who is also an old and good friend of Alex.

He was the unofficial team manager of the SEABA women’s team that Fritz coached less than 20 years ago.

Our team brought me a birthday cake, Alex brought 3 good wine bottles to go with the food and you should have heard the from the ridiculous to the sublime toasts we offered.

Now we are even to.planning to invite ourselves to play pickleball at Akex’s private court near his residence.

But Thursday afternoon was the bigger one at our office in PSC as some friends from the world of sports sent or brought food for sharing, including a whole lechon, that lechon never had a chance as PSC staffers from different departments dropped by to partake of the food and drinks available.

Even my family, Marissa, JM, and Livi made it there , with archery’s new NSA president Bing Reaport and Sec-Gen Nino Sinco and Sambo’s top athletes Chino and Sydney Tancontian among the firsts to come, followed by sepak takraw ‘s Karen Tanchanco-Caballero.

Dancesport’s Benny Lao , Tom Carrasco from triathlon , UE women’s basketball coach Ai Lebornio, and former Ginebra player Mike Advani, made their presence felt with the food items they sent, bless them.

There was too much food that I shared it with street folks near PSC and gave a big box of pizza to PSC guards.

My thanks to all of them including our staffers Elias, Helen, Romma, and Kane for helping out, and consultants Rondelle and JR, for dropping by. Now they all want to befriend all my friends after witnessing their generosity, hahaha.

PSC Chairman had a meeting outside but Commissioners Wawit Torres, Ed Hayco, and Fritz of couse, were there, Comm. Bong Coo just dropped by to greet me as she also had a meeting outside.

The following day, March 21 was my official birthday and I was supposed to make it a family day but had to attend a meeting with Chairman Dickie and other Commissioners on the NSA budget allocations.

The nice part, before that meeting , Fil-Canadian Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez dropped by the office for a courtesy call with both the Chairman and Fritz whose oversight includes swimming..

Kayla is pretty, friendly, focused on her goals, and very confident about making her dreams in sports come true.

I checked her best times in 5 of her possible events in the forthcoming SEA Games in Bangkok late this year, found out all her clockings were faster than current SEAG records.

I told her to be prepared for pressure as she will be expected to dominate her events in Thailand, she was not fazed at all.

Meeting Kayla face to face for me was another blessing to add to all the blessings the Lord has given me the past 70 years.

To cap off my birthday celebration, I am checking in at Victoria Court in Pasig this weekend with Marissa, Livi, and JM, to enable my apo to experience the oversized jacuzzi in the suite room, the same way my three kids did when they were still small and I was still working in Victoria Court.

Then a family dinner Sunday night with my whole family as Janis is coming ftom Nueva Ecija to join us.

You see turning 70 for me is truly a blessed milestone in my life and I will forever be grateful that the Lord gave me this long a life, maybe He can extend it by another ten years?

It was a Happy Birthday indeed.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Lito Cinco