Reason, Season, Lifetime....part 3

Ahhhhhh, the "Internet" friends!
I wonder how many of you out there
believe that you can develop a deep
 seeded friendship with someone you
 have never met? I believe you can! 

I have experienced this first hand.
Although these on-line friendships
are different, I believe they can be
just as strong but in a very different way.
You can honestly care about these people
as if you just "saw" them yesterday.
Let me say here and now, you have to also
be VERY careful about who is out there,
not everyone is honest to say the least.
But when you find those truly honest,
wonderful people they can become an
important friend in your life.

I have met some amazing people on-line over the past few years. As I mentioned earlier, about "the guys" I had met them both via the internet, but yet had the great pleasure of also meeting them in person and getting to hang out with them. I know, that takes it to a different level, lol. I have chatted and emailed with quite a number of people for years. One very special person comes to mind and I love them to death. Even though we live in different states and have never met and may never meet, this person means A LOT to me. A love in a very special way. I worry about them when I don’t hear from them for a few days or if I don’t see them on line...just like I would about my other friends.

The sad thing about on-line friendships is the fact that if something happens to one of these people, how would you ever know??? Most people don’t tell everyone about who they chat with or email to. It’s almost like a secret little community, lol. If something happens with one of my "girls"...well you know how that is, the phone starts ringing off the hook. Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster. We can immediately go there and be with the person in need....that’s what friends do. But the on-line world is different, that’s not always an option.

About 6 years ago I had met a wonderful man on-line. His name was Chuck and he and his family lived in Minnesota. He was happily married for 24 years and had 3 sons he was very proud of. We emailed and chatted daily and even talked on the phone a few times. He was just a very sweet man. I looked forward to his silly emails and sometimes not-so-funny jokes that he would send me. About 4 years ago I noticed I wasn’t getting any emails from him. I left him a few off lines saying I hoped everything was ok and just figured he got busy with his family or work....life happens. A couple of weeks went by and I still didn’t hear anything from him. I thought it was weird but hey, everyone gets busy right?.. even me.

Then one day when I got home from work I made myself some coffee and sat down to check my emails. In my inbox there was an email from a sender I didn’t recognize, however, in the subject it said "About Dad". Now normally I don’t open these emails as you never know about viruses, etc.....but that one bothered me....I opened it.

It was from Chuck’s son. It was very short, but to the point. It read like this.... " I was going through my Dad’s things today and came across your email address on a piece of paper in my Dad’s desk. I thought you would like to know, my Dad was killed in a car accident 2 weeks ago.".......that’s all it said. I swear it felt as if someone had hit me in the gut and knocked the wind out of me. I just sat there in disbelief and cried.....yes, I cried. I can’t even explain now, how I felt getting that email. In a way I’m thankful that his son found my email address otherwise I never would have known. I was surprised by the loss I felt over a person I never "met". Yet I knew so much about him and his family...he shared pictures with me...it was just like "knowing" him.

I still have a few very close on-line friends. There are even a few of you that I’ve been able to get to know thanks to myspace!! Maybe some day soon, I’ll have the honor of meeting a few of you in person!
Thank you all for being my friends. Whether you’re someone I’ve known for years or someone I’ve only emailed or chatted with a short time, please know that you are all very special to me and it’s been my honor to get to know you. Time is precious and life is short. Think about the friends in your life and tell them what they mean to you. You never know when the phone might stop ringing, the emails coming or the chats ending.....

Try to think of these people as the Diamond’s in your life ...they’re rare jewels and should be kept in a special and safe place. The perfect place may just be your heart.............