Internet Friendships

Several years ago we met a man who lives in Rochester, NY.  We met him on PalTalk.  He loved playing the keyboard and singing.  It delighted me so to hear him put so much joy into his singing.   We became good friends through our conversations on PalTalk, MSN Messenger, emails, and by our phone calls.

Last September, we met Koos and his wife Truus.  They invited us to have a meal with them.  We brought our friends who were visiting us from the Netherlands.  Now as Koos and Truus are both Dutch too, the conversation was lively and in Dutch too.  I speak very little Dutch, so Koos or Truus, being the perfect hosts, would translate for me.  We had a lovely visit with them.  Although it was our first face-to-face meeting, it felt as if we had visted a hundred times.  It was warm, comfortable and friendly visit.

Recently, we found that Koos has cancer.   He sent us the information via email.  The picture he sent us made him look upbeat and optomistic, but his words told a different story.

Today we found that Koos is now at home rather than a hospital.  He is a Hospice patient.  Their children are now close by for them.  Truus is trying to be strong. I know that she will try to be this way until the end.

I couldn't speak very well when my husband handed me the phone to talk to Truus.  My emotions got the best of me. 

Some people say that it is impossible to find true friends on the internet.  I say they are wrong.  Friends are found everywhere.  I am happy to have found so many that I can say are my friends.  Koos and Truus are one of those friends.

So many of you are the same.