On a dark, lonely evening as I watched television alone, a commercial came on for a type of online “lounge.”  Intrigued by it, I went to my computer to check it out.  Logging into the site 18 years ago, I had no idea just how the people on this site would impact my life.

From that night on, I checked in as often as I could to find my new friends waiting for me.  We would laugh, joke, and occasionally talk about serious issues that we were going through.  Since I was at the beginning of a bad divorce, these friends became my lifeline, my escape, and soon, my confidants.  Wishing for more privacy than the public forum allowed, we took our conversations over to email.  We shared so much about our lives that before long, we were all emotionally connected and bonded.

I am convinced that God placed these wonderful people in my life for a very special reason. They were there when I needed them the most and struggled through things that threatened to steal every ounce of my sanity.  From the bad divorce and the horrible things my ex husband did to me; my sisters suicide and trying to recover when my heart was shattered after losing her; remarrying my old high school sweetheart that resurfaced after the separation from my husband, to having a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that almost claimed my life and required emergency surgery; finally welcoming a beautiful blonde haired blue eyed angel into this world after painful procedures trying to conceive; both of my parents being diagnosed at separate times with cancer, going through surgery, and finally being told they were cancer-free once again; a horrible work situation where I was bullied almost daily by my boss and co-workers; my daughter’s graduation from high school; my new found love of horses and welcoming our herd of five horses to their new home; and the list goes on and on.

It hasn’t been one sided either.  I’ve been there for them through their parent’s passing; their medical tests; their own diagnosis and treatment; the passing of one’s sister; family disputes; etc.

As you can see, when once we were mere strangers, we became friends in the most unusual way back then.  Over the course of 18 years, though, these friends became family!   I thank God for each and every one of them.

Sadly, we lost one of our very special family members last year.  She struggled with breast cancer and lost her battle in November of 2014.  We miss her so much, but she is always in our thoughts.  We are thankful for the memories we made together and the opportunity to spend time face-to-face as we met for the first time last September.

These precious people are now family, and I thank God for how He put us together in the most unusual but beautiful way all those years ago.