iPad Friend

Have you ever felt you had a friendship with someone you never met?  You knew about their lives, family, children & grandchildren, gardens, pets & celebrations.  Our electronic capability has given us the ability to “know” people all over the world & feel a kindred spirit to someone who only exists on your iPad.

I’ve been following a blog for several years, published by a lady who lives in Australia.  Her stories were about her home.  She wrote about mending, cooking, and preserving vegetables & shared recipes & gardening tips with her readers.  She made the daily routine of housework & homecare feel like blessings instead of chores.  At the end of a blog, I wanted to try making detergent or growing rhubarb.

She shared pictures of her flowers, chickens, meals, & activities she was doing in the house.  Her posts were like a sweet visit & after reading, you felt like you had been there sharing a cup of tea & a scone.

Her husband passed away last year.  He was her daily companion, her help mate, & best friend & he shared the love of keeping up their home the same as she did.  When I read her post about his passing, I also felt the loss.  

She picked up blogging again after a while.  She said it helped to reach out & feel that she was visiting with her readers.  I could tell in her “voice” that her passion was not the same as before.  Her life had changed.  Their children were long out of the house, so the routine of two was not too difficult.  But now it is one, & finding meaning is not always easy.

After 16 years of writing, today was her last post.  Her final words reflected a tone of sadness.  She said that she has a brain tumor & writing has become difficult.  She reached out to her readers to say that she would miss us & thanked everyone for being there with her during her journey.  With that, she turned off the comments & closed her blog.

This may seem strange, but her post left me feeling like I had been to a funeral.   Her blog was like a book you didn’t want to put down.  Her stories captivated me & I didn’t want them to end.  She enjoyed the simple things & I will miss my iPad friend.