wp anniversary … 11 years

The autumn moon

Shining so brightly

So I wrote this ~Sekkei

Upon reflection of the past 11 years with Word Press there have been virtual connections that inspire, moments of anticipation, exchanges of ideas; and most important, a sense of being heard through exchanges of posts.

These various connections feel similar to childhood exchanges with pen pals. As well as letters, sent and received, the umbilical cords that nourished the emotional connection with family and friends despite the separation of miles.

Pen to paper that silently reaffirmed “thinking of you.” The anticipation that accompanied opening the mail box, tossing the envelopes with business return address onto the kitchen table while sitting down with a cup of tea to open letters that were like gifts of validation … of love.

It is amazing to read statistics that tell of the global connections that have been formed through blogging and virtual meetings. The inherent joy that arises through people connecting through the internet.

The WP anniversary invites me to say: thank you for your challenges, positive and inspiring comments, sharing the tidbits of your life, and creative words and photographs. Also, I appreciate the lessening importance of the numbers of followers and “likes” in light of the continuation of shared interests and new acquaintances.

Yet, I’ve found that over the past eleven years and most notably over the past three there is an emptiness that is occurring with the sudden and unexplained absence of posts… Emptiness that becomes filled with grief and loss.

I miss: our exchanges of haiku, you…an amazing writer of life, jokes you posted that I shared with my grandchildren, the diary you shared after being diagnosed with cancer, your abstract sea landscapes, your reflections of aging, your travel photographs, your invitation to edit selected photographs … I miss the connection I formed with each of you over the years.

This journey with old and new friends…priceless.