Jan's Orchid

Beyond fortunate, I have a handful of longtime friends from various stages of my life.

One of these is Jan. We met in grade school. In junior high we used to sit on the roof of her house talking late into the night - I swear we even saw the sun come up at least once.

Over the decades we've had times

where we weren't exactly on the same page, yet somehow stayed in touch. The past 20 years or so have been a continuous amazing conversation with paragraphs that are sometimes separated by months and months.

When I had a year of chemo, Jan, a psychologist with a strong spiritual practice, talked to me almost every week, sent regular notes of encouragement, and finally made the trek south with her husband to celebrate my first chemical-free week.

This orchid was her parting gift. It has bloomed several times since then. When I put this in a card it is a prayer for the sender and receiver to also experience the wealth of strength and joy that comes from sharing a deep bond. I especially love to give this in cards to other close friends who are also my lifeline.

During Jan's visit, some of these friends were able to come for ladies tea - it was wonderful to see such strong characters hitting it off! May you have a handful of friends who mirror back to you your best self and who hold your heart when your best self is on sabbatical.