JD’s 50th Celebration – Family, Friends and Fun


I attended a 50th Birthday party in Stockholm this past summer for my friend JD. It was a blast!

I'm not easily impressed although it was hard not to be on this night. The extreme diversity in the room, along with the love and emotion from family, friends and colleagues touched me deeply. His Swedish father-in-law even gave a moving speech (in Swedish) with 20 family members standing behind him. 

His two Daughters and Wife wrote a song for him and played it in video form, which almost brought tears to my eyes.

It was a wonderful night (and evening before at a Stockholm hotspot) that not only gave me further insight into the man, but made me want to do more with my life. 



JD is a giver and his work with youth was in full display that night from his boss, who also spoke eloquently about him. In addition, numerous friends (including myself) talked about the man and what he has meant to us.

I'm proud of JD as he is someone who is living life to the fullest. He’s a strong family man, has great friends, works with youth and maybe most importantly, always has immense ‘fun’ while doing it.

In my opinion, life should be measured by how we grow throughout our lives and JD has blossomed tremendously over the ten years that I've known him. He never stops the focus on growing, learning and becoming a better person. That's something we can all learn from and be inspired by.

Happy Gswede Sunday! 


JD's Family in the Early Years