A person can speak up to 31,500 words in a day. That number can decrease by thousands when you’re searching for ways to say thank you. When someone recognizes a need and puts their innate selfishness aside to help, thankfulness begins to be personified and the right terminology is lost somewhere in those 31,500 words.
Elton John said, “Sorry seems to be the hardest word,” but as I search in vain for ways to “thank you,” I beg to differ. It’s rare to find one person who will laugh with you, forgive you, teach you and help you, but to find two people who give of themselves endlessly and without restraint is nothing less than a blessing.
Thanks to Beth and Jared, I have learned how to be a better journalist, a better friend and a better person.
Beth, you are a true companion. You have told me the truth when everyone else was afraid that I might hurt them. You came from what seemed like nowhere and gave me understanding that was unguarded. I was unsure of myself and you became a pillar of strength. You have learned more than could be expected and you did it with a positive attitude. I don’t have to tell you that you will go far because you already have.
Jared, you are a quiet rock … sometimes. You dealt with the things that I just couldn’t. You solved problems that were too much for me, and you realized when I needed someone to share my workload. You were there to tell me what I could not and would not see on my own. You are and will continue to be great. Most people who meet you will never realize you’re genius.
Now that both of you are leaving and I have to do this job without you, I wonder what this job was like before you. Friends are rare and you guys are saviors who were sent to me. I will never find another “editorial board” that can give it to me straight all the while knowing that at some point I just might lose it. I am indebted to you as if you saved my life, because in so many ways, you did.
Some may never have the ability to truly understand the feeling of gratitude and maybe that’s the way it should be. Some people would just not be able to carry the heavy burden that those feelings leave behind.
Beth and Jared, I can’t say thank you because I just don’t know how.

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