"The miracle of friendship can be spoken without words... hearing unspoken needs, recognizing secret dreams, understanding the silent things that only true friends know" --Author Unknown

Dearest Jan,

You and I have been friends for about six months. We have never met in person. I have never heard your voice, nor have you heard mine. Yet I count you as one of my nearest and dearest friends. Every day I ask myself how I got so lucky, what I did to deserve such a wonderful person as you in my life.

Sometimes I think back to the first day we met all those months ago. It seems like a lifetime has passed. And in many ways it has. With you, because of you, I am a completely different person than I was then. You have helped me to realize so many things about myself and others, things that I didn't even know I was capable of understanding.

In those short months we have been through a roller coaster of emotions. We have shared the absolute joy of happiness and experienced the very lowest depths of despair. Even when you were hurting so terribly yourself, you always took the time to listen to my problems. I just hope you can say the same about me.

I am so grateful to have you in my life, Jan. You saved me. I wish I had more beautiful words to describe what you mean to me. So I suppose I'll steal from someone else: "I never came to you, my friend, and went away without some new enrichment of the heart; More faith and less of doubt, more courage in the days ahead. And often in great need coming to you, I went away comforted indeed. How can I find the shining word, the glowing phrase that tells all that your love has meant to me, all that your friendship spells? There is no word, no phrase for you on whom I so depend. All I can say to you is this, God bless you precious friend." --Grace Noll Crowell

Thank you for being my friend, Jan. You mean more to me than words can ever say. I love you. Happy Birthday!