“I’ll Go The Distance”

It’s funny how much of an impact someone can have on your life in such a short period of time. Especially one you’ve never actually met face to face.

I have been a member of Facebook for quite a while now, and along the way I have picked up a lot of fun and interesting people. In fact, my online friendships have been more successful than most of my offline friendships. I guess because the Internet manages to bridge the distance between people who share the same interests. The closest friends I have had in recent years have come from different corners of the globe – some easy to get to, some not quite so much -- but people that I don't suspect I would have had in my life were it not for the internet and it's communities. But anyway I digress.

Some time ago I met a lady on Facebook. She was fantastic and someone else I would never have had the pleasure of knowing if it weren't for that wonderful combination of electrons. She was suffering with brain cancer but in all the time I knew her I never saw her let it bother her, and until very recently I never knew the true extent of her condition. It took me some time to get the courage up to actually ask her what was wrong with her, mainly because I didn’t want her to think I was prying or being nosey if she didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t even realise how much she actually liked me until a few weeks ago and during those few weeks we became very close. She confided in me about things that were bothering her and valued my input on them – in my opinion the true measure of a wonderful friendship.

This evening I received the upsetting news that she had been hospitalised due to her worsening condition and that her condition was much further on than she had let on to me. I (or rather we) were told via Facebook messages and status updates that she had passed away at 11:15 pm BST and I was quite shocked at my reaction. I cried. I’m not a person who cries often, and I’ve always kept a tight rein on my emotions, but as I read the developments I couldn’t help but feel myself well up and my heart break. I last spoke to her last Thursday and ironically I had sent her a message this morning asking how she was because I hadn’t heard from her and I was worried.

I’ve appreciated for some time the value of the internet. As I said earlier, my best friends live in my computer. Most of them have helped me through some tough times, mostly documented in this blog and much more effectively than people in my own airspace simply because I could open up completely without fear of being judged. I could let out all my anguish and despair and not worry that they would think me weak, or withholding important facts that helped them to help me. As I type this now I am messaging two of these friends who are helping me deal with what I’m feeling.

People say the internet is a barrier to good relationships with other people, but the truth is I think it’s better. You may not actually see them every day but they are just a message or post away from helping you to feel better and to guide you through the turmoil in your life. Bless you my friends ....

"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." ~ Traditional Gaelic Blessing
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RIP Linda. May you find the peace and serenity you deserve and may you now be free of pain.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep, I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die."

Mary Elizabeth Frye - 1932