Love, Loss, Friendships, Birthday, and Gatherversary

I had forgotten completely that I discovered and also joined the Gather community the day after my birthday in 2006.  This is the first social website that I have actually stayed with for two years ~ and has continually held my interest.  I have made so many wonderful online friends here who have come to mean a great deal to me and who I also talk about with my "offline" friends and family.  We might only chat and share things online, but this community has a way of getting deep in your heart and becoming a daily part of life.

As some of you know, I lost my Dad on October 10^th of this year, and I almost didn't send a Gather email out to all my friend connections explaining why I was absent from Gather and not posting for a time, because I really was afraid I'd get a whole lot of "Sorry for your loss", "Condolences for your loss", and nothing more than that, and I kind of felt, "Well, what's the point of that..."  I was grieving too much for anything trivial.  Any of you who have lost someone dear to you probably know just what I mean.

However, I thought about it some more, and decided my friendships here were too important to just suddenly drop off the earth without some word of explanation, so I wrote up an email and sent it, explaining about Dad and why I was taking a short time off from Gather.

What I didn't expect was the DELUGE of compassionate, caring, loving, and thoughtful emails that were the response to my announcement of Dad's passing.  Each one of you had such comforting and kind words, or something special to share about what you had gone through with losing a loved one at some point in your life.  I frankly was overwhelmed by the response and the love I felt from you.  I was also amazed by what so many of you had gone through, that, had I not shared about my loss, I would never have known.

You know, a former pastor of mine always used to close out his messages with a very simple saying that I have taken to heart and often use it in my signature block in my regular emails.  He would always say, "Be kind to people out there; you never know what they might be going through."  He was as true as his word, and I really appreciated and loved him because he was so loving to us all.  Just yesterday, I also read another one almost exactly like it, "Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."  What truth and timeliness there is in these two statements.

I'll tell you, friends, these are some hard times we're living in, and it's really true what we read in the Bible in Matthew 24:12, "and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many people will grow cold".  Look around you, watch the news, read the newspapers ~ horror stories of man's inhumanity to man is everywhere around us, and I absolutely believe it has gotten much worse.  I sometimes purposely do not watch the news for that very reason ~ I don't want to be pulled down by hearing of the latest hideous crime that has been committed and how it has devastated families and friends, and even the public at large at times.  It's important to know what's going on in our country, but I don't think we need to, or even should, expose our minds every day to so much bad news.

Aside from these things, there are also just the everyday things we experience, and the life struggles that each of us has to go through.  None of us gets through life unscathed or without losing someone dear at some point.

So, given all the above, the importance of being kind and patient with one another in our lives, our families, with strangers ~ and on Gather ~ is absolutely paramount.  I am so appreciative of the friends I have met here who have added so much meaning to my own life, have held me up when I'm down, have laughed at my stupid jokes, and have built me up about my efforts at becoming a better photographer.  You have all helped me become a better person in so many ways, and for that I am thankful.

I celebrate this 59^th birthday today with a full heart.  I am thankful to God for his abiding love for me, thankful to my loving Mother, my dear hubby, my friends, especially KAY, and my family ~ my hubby's family ~ and then, of course, to my extended family here on Gather.

Thank you, each of you, for the gift of "You".  God bless you all, and have a very thankful, happy Thanksgiving.

Your Friend,

Nancy

                     
   

                           Jesus welcoming Dad into Heaven

       
                   (I post-processed the original painting by

                  Danny Hahlbohm in Photoshop, and

                  replaced the individual's head with my

                  Dad's. It has been a great comfort to me,  

                  my family, and friends who love him to

                  have this picture)

Please see Danny Hahlbohm's wonderful paintings here: http://www.inspired-art.com/inspiredartworks/home.html