My father's 90th birthday

It's my father's 90th birthday today and in a few hours we'll be going to a restaurant in the renovated Tel Aviv harbour district in order to celebrate with family and friends. My wife has been imploring me to write something for his birthday card, and whereas normally the words just flow (I'm having no difficulty in writing this...), I can't find a suitable place from which to start.

This being the Internet Age, I initially scanned many sites looking for ideas. There seem to be three approaches, none of which seem too appropriate

• The witty/pithy approach: "Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative", "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards"
• The deprecating approach: "You have reached that certain age/Where it’s acceptable to be/Grumpy and complaining/About everything you see"
• Seeing things from my point of view: "90 years!/What a treat and a privilege for me/To have you hold my hand as I walked by your side/down life's pathways/for most of them"

My wife says to write something from the heart, but then it sounds like a eulogy, which is what I definitely don't want to write. I have the following line in my head "It's been an honour and a privilege to have known you for all my life", but the past tense implies that he is no longer with us. How can I phrase that in the present tense? "It's an honour and a privilege to know you for all of my life"? "To know you" implies something which is happening now, whereas "all of my life" is something which has happened over many years (albeit still happening).

It's an honour and a privilege 

To have a father such as you

Always caring about his fellow man

With barely a thought for himself

The values you have instilled in me

Are the best a son could ever wish

The only way to repay you

Is to wish you all the best on this

Birthday of Birthdays