As the Garden of Friendship celebrates it's Third Birthday, I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you, our members, for the role you play in the Garden's success. Although the foundation of the Garden is built on Friendship, we rely largely on the contributions and dedication of our members, and it is this love and devotion that keeps the Garden strong and growing each day as new friendships are formed within our Gates.

Three years ago, when I started the Garden, I had no idea how large it would become, nor the slightest inclination as to the role it would play in my own life, let alone the lives of so many others. I receive email regularly from members thanking me for the Garden, for the Friendships they have found here or for the difference it has made in their lives. We even have a couple members who attribute the Garden as the reason they are still here on this earth.

In July 2000, I thought I had the world by the tail... I was holding down a successful job, was starting a new relationship and was in the midst of moving when I started the Garden. Six months later, I was in a car accident that changed my life. Since the accident, I have had to make many changes, including giving up my career, and accepting the term "disabled".

Through learning to live with chronic pain, the diagnosis of "Fibromyalgia", and the changes they have inflicted upon my life, the one place where I could always find friendship and solace was right here in the Garden. Since I became ill, many of my real life friends have moved on. Over the last few years, we've just drifted apart, but the friends who have remained sacred have helped me to understand, and the bottom line is my illness.

In my mind, online friendships give the word "friendship" a whole new depth. Many of the friendships I have formed here in the Garden are closer and stronger friendships than those I have in real life. There are no prejudices found here. No one cares what color your skin is, what religion you practice, what income bracket you fit into, what you look like, your height, weight... all irrelevant. Friendships formed here start on the inside and that is where it's most important.

The Garden has continued to grow in leaps and bounds over the past three years. Sometimes I just sit back in awe and wonder as I take it all in. I remember back when the site first went online in July of 2000. I'm not sure if any of you remember our graphics from back then but my... they were ugly! Since then, our site has developed a look that is recognized, and I'm not sure if any of you have ever sat down and tried to take in all what the Garden site has to offer and really GO through all the pages, but you better allow yourself a couple days. Our site offers a wealth of information (our Causes pages, Gardening pages, Recipes galore, HTML Assistance, tutorials, poetry, Crafters Corner, etc). We offer several options that allow members to interact with our site, they can send one of our awards to a friend, turn a friend into a flower in our Flower Garden or a scrumptious tasty treat in our Sweet Shoppe. Our Graphic Studio and Adoption Shoppe offer lots of beautiful work created by our talented members to share with others. These sections are both open to members and non members alike. Aside from this, we offer 30 committees for members to choose from, with each committee having their own goal or purpose in the Garden, contributing to what makes the Garden complete.. On top of this we offer seven Webrings, a Banner Exchange, ongoing games and events, gorgeous quilts stitched with love, and so much more...

The Garden has become known "out there on the World Wide Web". Our graphics are being recognized as representing the Garden and are on hundreds of sites out there on the web. We often receive comments on the Membership Applications or through personal email and we are complimented often on the reputation we have, on our excellent organizational skills, on how friendly our members are, how warmly new members are welcomed, how much we have to offer... I honestly believe the credit is all due back to you, our members as a group, for you are what make the Garden complete, and I can't thank you enough for that.

The last month has been a very difficult one for me with computer problems combined with health problems. The love and support I have received from members during this time has surpassed anything I could have imagined. There were all the cards and email, gorgeous pages with gifts from everyone beautifully put together by Jessica, Glennda created the most beautiful Secret Friend Pages for me (even though I was unable to be online during the week), the Quilters Committee lovingly stitched together a beautiful quilt and all the letters of friendship and people offering to help out and pitch in whenever needed, and this week, Lily of the Valley, one of our Garden Blossoms has been filling my mailbox with sunshine each day. It's no wonder we have such an outstanding reputation, my hats off to you all. Friendship has developed new meaning to me since I founded the Garden and I owe it to all of you.

In closing, I want to add a special thank you to the Garden Keepers. Ladies, you are the GREATEST and I love you all. You never cease to amaze me, you are always there for me... you pitch in whenever and wherever needed and go beyond the call of duty time and time again. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I could issue paychecks and pay you for what you're worth, you'd be the richest people on earth. Thank you so very much for all you do, both for the Garden and for me as a friend.

I hope we are all here to celebrate many more birthdays together as the Garden continues to grow and flower with friendship.

Huggers,
Deelight