A very special day today: Aunt Felip’s 105th birthday. "Happy birthday, Aunt Felip," Adna said. It was just a simple family celebration with the children — Lex, Azia, and Al, especially Al, who had cared for Aunt Felip when she was bedridden for almost three years. There was a birthday cake.

People often ask, "What is the point of celebrating birthdays? What makes them important when the celebrant only grows older each year? Why spend money to invite others to a lavish dinner?" Azia heard this question and asked her mother. Adna explained that a birthday celebration is important not only to the person being celebrated but also to those who raised and loved them. It is a way to give thanks for another joyful year and to honor the person's place in the hearts of their loved ones. Few families make this a priority; in some, people are individualistic, rivalry prevails, and parents are so busy with careers and friends that they miss the important, joyful celebrations of each family member. Burning love also sparks and continues to connect us with those who have long since departed in this life. It becomes an unquenchable flame because the bond is so strong in the hearts and minds of those who love them. Joyous memories are never-ending; they endure and are passed down to future generations because this practice has long been observed. This connectedness of heart and mind, called "burning love," is the second secret of life.

The first is gratitude for the one who cared for you when you were an infant, then a child, an adolescent, and eventually a parent yourself. Burning love is the fruit of gratitude. Adna remembered a young priest who worked with her at her first and largest free medical clinic. He said, "The child is the father of the man"—who you were as a child shapes who you become.

Good people are often those raised by caregivers who gave their best and provided a beautiful upbringing. Life has ups and downs—good times and bad, success and failure, wealth and poverty—but none of that ultimately matters. What matters most is the time spent together, full of laughter despite the odds. It is like picking flowers: discard the thorns and keep the roses. Others say life is like a bed of roses with thorns: God has given us intellect and free will, so never lie down on the thorns. Make time to remove them and keep a bed of roses free of thorns.

Adna told Azia that what they had experienced since Azia was young they would continue to enjoy. "Counting the years makes us happy," Adna said. Tomorrow was also the retired judge’s birthday, but Adna could not cook for it; she was too tired after a week of preparing the feast in the chapel near their house. Climbing the mountain after a very long journey had left her unwell and unable to prepare elaborate food. She would, however, still visit the judge to greet him.

The retired judge liked Azia and hoped she would become a good judge. He regarded her as logical and kind. Azia, too, was very inquisitive and always willing to learn, just like Adna.

When the head priest came to their garden, Adna asked, "Monsignor, what is the difference between a canon lawyer and a canon expert? I know two priests who are canon lawyers, but recently three people have been named canon experts, including you." The head priest explained that a canon expert is someone with deep, specialized knowledge of canon law, much like a medical specialist, while canon lawyers are those who know and apply the law. Azia, whenever she had questions, would ask for answers. Al the Second has a personality similar to Azia's, but he never stops asking questions. He always has many things on his mind. Adna sometimes says, "We'll discuss it next time." Lex, who is very studious, learns about new things through her own research; however, when a matter involves the law she asks her mother, who had been close to three lawyers—Uncle Rom and his two sons—during her university years. Adna's three children share one thing in common: they love her jelly-and-ripe-mango salad. When the others ate two small cups, Al had already eaten more than five. They also enjoy mango float, made with crushed graham crackers, ripe mangoes, and cream. Al the Second, the only son, loves to cook. He wanted to become a chef, but since it's not a standard bachelor's program, Adna told him he could learn through experience. "I just watched Aunt Felip cook beef steak and sweet-and-sour fish, and I learned to reproduce her flavors," she told him. Al became passionate about cooking and often experimented; at first he didn't get the taste right, but by the next attempt it was much better. He also enjoys gardening.