Sunday, September 12, 2010

Thank You, Mother Moon



"There is magic in long-distance friendships.  They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound."--Diana Cortes

 When the doorbell rang yesterday, it couldn't have happened at a better time. I was feeling a down and out...and tired from sorting through our clothing, packing, unpacking, and washing. My vacation is almost over and the sense of dread has begun. Actually, hubby told me I should be taking advantage of some much-needed rest during these last few days, but do I listen?  So, when the doorbell rang, I was in the midst of sorting fall clothes piled sky-high on my bed and automatically assumed that it was someone who had the wrong address, but instead, it turned out to be a most pleasant surprise.  I'd recently won the giveaway over at Mother Moon's Message and was not expecting it to arrive so quickly, especially on a Saturday.  Around my neighborhood, today is the Sabbath, and usually nothing is delivered today.  Right about now, I am really wishing that I had a camera so I could share this wonderful gift with all of you, but alas, Son tried to get over buying a cheap, used camera not too long ago, and guess what...it didn't work...but,  because he bought it used, as is, no return. I try not to think of it as a mistake, but as a lesson learned for I know he won't do it again.

Well, the package included the book, Eat, Pray, and Love, which I cannot wait to begin reading, a jar of her delicious peach jam, vanilla sugar (Mmmm), a lovely cup with some great tasting teas (perfect for an evening with a favorite book), a 2011 daily dose of Irish quotes, history, and traditions, a beaded necklass, a scented candle, a fancy little notebook for jotting down the ideas that come to my head on the subway, and some chocolates.  Gave me a new incentive to finish with my work so I can take a shower and climb into my bed with my new book and chocolates....and what a relaxing time I had. It was such a special gift which has touched me more than anyone knows.  Thank you, Mother Moon.  What a special woman you are!  All of you are special to me...my online friends.

As I've grown older, my life has gotten more solitary.  I've realized that all too often in the past I have chosen the wrong people to call my friends; sometimes, those you consider your most 'personal' friends turn out to be not so 'real' after all.  When I think about, perhaps the only real friendship I've had in my life was my friend Kathleen, and that has been over now for about 50 years.  Imagine that, 50 years without a solid friendship...acquaintances, I've had many, but true friends are rare. Just what is a true friend, and do internet friends count?  I believe they do.

Friendship is defined as a friendly relationship or "the mutually cooperative and supportive behavior between two or more people".  Nowhere have I found it stated that for a friendship to be real it must have been at first initiated in person through either some sort of social function, school or work related activity, or random meeting. So based on the definition, yes, internet friends can definitely be real friends.

To me, getting to know someone is about so much more that just their 'physical' being; it goes far deeper than that. To me, a friend is someone that is there for you; I believe that all of you fit into that category. I also believe that a friend is someone that you can share aspects of your life with.  My internet friends know more about me than those people who I have known for years. It is about becoming familiar with who this person is, what makes them tick, where they've come from, and where they're going. Communication is the key.  
The truth is, friendships can take any form. For some people, they may need a person who they can see and touch, while for others, it may be someone who can listen and give advice. For me, it's a friendship with another similar minded person. One who shares similar goals and values and doesn't mind the fact that her best friend can't reach out and touch her hand, but knows that she will always be there to touch her life and mend her heart. That sounds to me like you...each and every one of you.  Thanks for being my friends.


"But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one's deepest as well as one's most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely.  Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away."--Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

9 comments:

  1. Wonderful post...beautifully said and written...you have a gorgeous magical heart and it awways shines through! Shine on Kindred!
    Victoria~

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  2. well Kiki said it ....enjoy your beautiful gifts, you deserve it

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  3. Oh what a deeelicious-sounding package, to arrive! So happy for you.

    [Mmmmmmm, do hope you are resting and taking it easy today, Sun.]

    Oh yes, friends can be Net Friends. Of course they can. :-) I look on you, as my friend. When anything happens, concerning NYC, I think of you. Not only then, but... If I didn't feel a closeness, my mind would not act that way.

    That's not the only way to view a friendship, of course. But it came to mind and seemed to flow, with this little discussion.

    And you know I'll wish I could give you a big hug, Monday morning, when you start out the door again. {{{{{{Mary}}}}}}

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  4. What beautiful words. :0)
    Something I would have liked to say, but never could form the words as well as you did.
    You made me feel damned good inside Mary.
    Thanks for the uplift and please know you are special too.

    P.S. Can I steal that Iris picture my friend?

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  5. Do you wonder if the reason we are so comfortable with internet friends is because they don't live near us so we can tell them our deepest darkest secrets without the worry of it getting all over town?

    I love my internet friends. Some of them have become like sisters and I also have a guy friend who has become one of my best friends.

    Congratulations on winning Mother Moon's contest. You so deserve it.

    Blessings,
    Ana

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  6. Mary I am so glad that it reached you so soon as well at such a good moment... I loved putting it together for you.. You have blessed me in so many ways at so many moments...
    True friends are hard to find yet it is good to know that there are still opportunities where this blessing occurs...

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  7. Mary- your words always resonate in me. When I started blogging it was for me to get out what I needed to say without as Anastasi put it up there....getting around. Living in a small town everyone knows your business something before you even do. I've grown up in it and I am accustomed to how people in a small town are.

    In my lifetime I have had several friendships. Some come in and out of my life, but we always seem to pick up where we left off. Others for a season to teach me something even if I did not know it at the time.

    My mother always told me that if you could count on one hand your true to life friends, that you had a full life.

    Now, I love my internet friends. The longer I blog and follow people such as yourself the closer I feel to you even though we are very far apart. Not only in distance, but in age. I look up to you and who you are. I wrote in a post earlier how you are an angel on earth. I don't believe in coincidences therefore I know there is a reason for my internet friendship's I have only begun to get to know. I look forward to your posts daily and always take wisdom away from them. Bless you Mary and Congrats on your win. I was soooooooo excited when I won one of Mother Moons giveaways and I treasure each item she sent to me. Blessing to you my friend- Angie

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  8. Great post about friendships, especially the Internet variety. I think that, if you're honest about who you are, Internet friendships can grow so much more quickly than face-to-face ones because you aren't distracted by physicality or place or activity. It's just your words and your friend's words. By the time I met my now husband face-to-face, we'd e-mailed for several days and I knew SO MUCH about him as he did me. Once we met in person, we knew we had something very special. We married two and a half years later.

    On the other hand, in a few weeks I'm going to visit my dearest friend of 28 years who lives thousands of miles away from me. It'll be just like we were never apart within the first two minutes, although we haven't been together in four years.

    I'll think of you as you go back to work tomorrow. It is so hard to do, isn't it.

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  9. Now I have the Golden Girls song in my head! Any special plans for the vanilla sugar?

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