Light, Love, Hope

With all I’ve posted thus far about meeting someone online and then meeting them in person, we do still need to consider the danger that exists in our world today.  Just this weekend, I read about a woman meeting a man online and taking it further by meeting in person.  In this instance, as the article read, there was alcohol and drugs involved, and an argument soon enraged the couple.  This story had a tragic ending as the man violently took the woman’s life!

In another article I read, a 76-year-old man posted an ad for a puppy he was selling.  Someone reached out to him, and an agreement was made between the two parties to meet at a restaurant.  There, they would exchange the money for the puppy.  Sadly, the individual shot the man, leaving him for dead, and fled with the puppy!

When we decided to take our friendship outside of the “box” (our computers) and meet “in the real world,” we did so after MANY years of friendship.  We knew each other because we shared intimate details of our lives.  We shared our deepest, darkest secrets and fears.  Every trial we faced was shared, and our friends rallied around us to offer support and encouragement.  Happiness and good times were shared also through the years.  But my point is the YEARS of our friendship ensured our safety when we finally met in person.

Be wary of those you meet online, yes!  You can never be too careful here.  But also know that not everyone on the internet is out to get you or cause you harm.  There are good, honest people out there, just like my friends and I.

It was inevitable that that it would happen. The first look I knew. I don’t know how I knew, I just knew. There was something so special in those eyes. You could just feel it. To be honest, I adored her.

It wasn’t her beauty that captured me. It was her style, her grace. I didn’t know what hit me, but it hit me hard. It wasn’t just the purr of her soft voice or that way she sauntered in and out of the rooms. It was the entire package all rolled up into this wonderful, adorable persona that I couldn’t get enough of.

I would wait with anticipation for her to show up to where I was. It was like a craving for chocolate. I couldn’t get enough of her presence. Yes. I adored her.

I was Cyrano and she was my Roxanne.

She was my…

neighbors cat.

Debbie’s family kept us updated.  Honestly, with the herbal and oil treatments, her prognosis didn’t look good.  Even still, we vowed to support her and her choices in how she wanted to tackle this dreaded disease.  We often wonder if things would have been different had changes occurred to her treatment early on.  Traditional methods to treat breast cancer may have saved her life.

Our friend was so young.  If memory serves me correctly, she was only 59 years old.  It’s sad thinking of something invading our sweet Debbie’s body and her not seeking life-saving treatment.

As her days grew short, her family informed us of the likelihood of Debbie slipping away.  Sylvia and I were closest, so we decided to visit again.

I can still see Debbie laying in the hospital bed in her living room. She was still somewhat aware of what was taking place around her.  We took her flowers, and although she couldn’t say much that was audible, she showed expression in her eyes.

We held her hand knowing that would be the very last time.  We walked toward the door, glanced back over our shoulder at Debbie, and tried to hold back the tears as we walked to our vehicles.

Debbie passed away the next day.

Our friend, Vaughn, who we also met in the “lounge,” tried to get to the United States from New Zealand before Debbie passed away.  He was distraught when he learned of her passing.  He promised he would visit her, and he held on to that promise.  Choking back tears, he was heartbroken at not making it before the inevitable happened.

In the days following, he did, indeed, keep his word.  He flew to the United States where Sylvia and I met him in Georgia.  We took Vaughn to meet Debbie’s husband, Ray, and then on to her final resting place.  Vaughn placed flowers at her grave site and spent some time there.  Although this is not the way he wanted to “visit,” he was an honorable man.  A man of his word.