Friendships online and offline ...

Taking time to enjoy the day

I'm not new to the internet, but in 2006 I was new to internet forums and all that would follow.  I joined the FDMB because I had two diabetic cats and I needed help learning how to test their sugars.  What I got was a lot more.  The FDMB like so many other forums is filled with passionate people who care deeply for diabetic cats and their caretakers.  That passion can lead to joy and heartache, celebrations and arguments, but through it all bonds are formed.

For me it led me to DCIN but also brought me some of my closest friends.  Some I've met in person and some I've never seen but have talked to so often and opened up so much to them that even without seeing their face I can see their love and their kindness.

One such person is my friend Jean. I met her through the forum and we spoke often. In the beginning, it was emails about our kitties and how some of our kitties looked so much a like. Over time, the talks moved away from cats to topics as varied as love, family and friends. She spoke of her children and her late husband. There is a diner up North where they would go; it happened to be one I also enjoyed regularly - the Blue Colony Diner. As we talked, we learned that we both sat in the same area and ordered many of the same dishes. She wasn't from my area but she and her late husband came up this way often.

Our conversations turned to cat toys and knitting and so many other things.  I helped her at times when she needed it and she helped me whenever I needed it.

As time goes on and life gets in the way we don't always get to take the time to talk to our friends.  They'll be there tomorrow, I can email then, I will call later...

Last night I learned that there may be no calls in our future.  Her breast cancer has metastasized to her brain and she has been moved to hospice care.  As I sit here writing this I can't help but wish we had one more phone call, one more story to share.

We are all busy, life is hard and time is always moving but maybe just today you can
make that phone call you've been thinking about or send that message just to let someone know that you are thinking of them.