[TeriB19]

Evening folks. I have not had the pleasure of meeting many of you, as my appearances here aren't as common as they once were. But I do know a good many of you personally and wanted to share this news with you.

I have something to say about 'internet friends'. It is about the friendships that we make here on this and other message boards.

I got some horrible news tonight when I got home from work. A very dear friend of mine, one that I had never met in person, but spoke with on the phone countless times was killed in a terrible accident last August. I just found out about it this evening. Why did I let so much time pass without calling her? Why didn't I press the issue when I didn't get a Christmas card from her as I always had in the past? Why didn't it occur to me when her emails stopped?

Several years back I met this lovely German woman who had married an American Army soldier. They were living in Racine, WI with their two children. He was deployed around the same time as my husband. Her husband went to Iraq, mine went to Kuwait. This woman and I met on another Creed message board through a mutual friend and immediately became friends. She joined up here and posted under the screenname 'cjme'. I IM'd with her at least 3 times a week, and we spoke on the phone at least twice a month. Her husband came home before mine did and when he did, she confided to me that things had changed. They eventually separated and I was a source of comfort to her, and she continued to be a source of comfort to me as my husband was still overseas.

Now, several years later, we had not been in as much contact as we had before and I suppose the emails got fewer and fewer, but that didn't mean I didn't think of her all the time, especially when I'd hear a Creed song.

When I got home from work tonight, another of our mutual friends had sent me an email with an article about the accident. A dump truck ran a red light hitting our friend's car and took her from us almost immediately. This happened on August 14. All the air was knocked from my lungs. I had just taken a casserole out of the oven and didn't have any desire to touch it. I let the family eat while I sat in wonder.

I'll miss her friendship, I'll miss her sense of humor, I'll miss what we shared but most of all, I've learned not to take 'internet friends' for granted. Each and every one of you has posted something that has made me smile or touched me in some way. I wanted to let you know that it makes a difference and will continue to do so.

People may scoff at 'internet friends' but those of us who have made lasting friendships over the internet would beg to differ. I'm closer to some of my 'internet friends' than I am to my own real-life friends.

Life is short, enjoy what it brings us while we are here. So quickly, things change.

Teri


Rest in peace, Tati.