Happy 40th, Janet

You were our firstborn, which is enough in itself to make you special. But there is much more.

From day one you were engaging, even captivating.

Strangers thought you could read at three. They didn’t know about your incredible memory. Plus, your ability, even then, to sell an audience.

Sometimes it got you and us in trouble. I remember a late night call from an irate parent who wanted my daughter to tell her daughter that the monster in her story was fictitious.

Your high school voice teacher called it “emoting.” You weren’t just a beautiful voice. Everything about you—from those laughing eyes to the long, brown hair you thought too curly—everything charmed an audience.

And you still do. Your boys, your husband, your family, friends, coworkers, even an occasional surly homeowner you must face as a property manager—all of us fall under your spell.

And we are better for it.

So happy 40th, Janet. Never forget how special you are.