It occurred to me today that sometimes, even when you have not met a person in real life, lives can be intertwined. Yesterday, I sat down to my computer to peruse some blog entries and the first one I read just stopped me in my tracks. Turns out that Van - someone I have never met but someone I hold in high regard - had a recent tragic loss in his life. On a personal note this struck me suddenly and left me wondering what to say to someone I don't really know but someone I know enough to feel the need to say something. I know Van through his music, his humor, and the snippets of his life he gifts us with through his blog. I know enough to know that, on a human level, the unexpected loss of his father has deeply touched him. And, having lost my own father long ago, I know what that loss feels like.
I do think it is possible to feel that we know one another from what we share via the Internet. In some cases, depending on the depth of what we share, it is possible to feel we know each other very well. I know that it is possible for me to be affected by what my Internet buddies go through because I have been keeping Van and his family close in my thoughts since finding out about his loss. Maybe it's just that loss is such a universal feeling. We all have felt it one way or another so we automatically know the impact it has on our lives. Maybe it's just a part of the human experience we share that draws us, at least in empathy, to those we don't really even know.
Hang in there, buddy.
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