[this is a day late -- needed time to think through this one]
Last night an amazing soul left this world. For 25 years we have been in daily contact through various communication platforms beginning with the old Newsgroups. This woman was a force of nature, though gentle and caring even when telling it like it is. The number of people she influenced on these platforms and throughout her career and life is too huge to count. For me, she helped me to work through difficulties I had when designing early web sites and pages -- before things became interactive in any major way and when all coding was done by hand. She would calmly troubleshoot for me and numerous others when our computer setups needed something extra downloaded to allow a stable connection to our group chatroom.
She was an amazing organizer earning her the title 'cybrarian' for an early listserv. Her sense of humour was amazing. I remember laughing whenever we were together at music concerts and events or in online discussions. She smiled and laughed a lot and shared her quirky humour. I remember her teaching me the hand signs to a song while we were at a concert. That was a memorable one that I have dubbed the Great Flood of Cleveland due to the huge thunderstorm (short lived) that began right as the concert began. We were soaking wet, but had such a great time. Earlier in the day, we'd become the centre of attention in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as we posed for a large group photo complete with props. We are on many home videos and vacation pics from people who assumed we must be some famous group. I've laughed about that day often. That whole roadtrip -- my first -- was with many others that I still see on social media daily. This group became a family and today we are missing a loved member of that family.
This courageous woman fought stage 4 breast cancer for 10 years. Neither of those numbers is a typo. Even with discomfort and pain left behind by various chemo treatments, she lived life to the fullest and tenaciously held on to the very end. Several people have noted that she would have met those on the other side with a list and plan to reorganize the place <smile>. I'd like to think of her sitting with a friend of hers who passed earlier this year. Laughter and music will definitely be involved.
Two songs came to mind today as I have been learning to grasp this new reality -- not fully a success, though. The first song has a title that reflects my feelings -- and those voiced by so many others today. The second is a wonderfully metaphorical lyric that recognizes that she will always be with us through memories and stories that we tell to others so that her life is now part of those who knew her and those who are reading about her for the first time. Enjoy!
Hole in the World -- The Eagles
Tapioca Tundra -- The Monkees
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