The Treasure of Cyber Friends

 We have seen so many changes in the last several generations, and this past year, with many of us who have time to spare, may have reconnected with friends from our past, and some who we may have never met in person. Technology has given all of us the ability to communicate quickly with friends who live on the other side of our planet. Gone are the days of pen and ink used to write letters that were delivered by the Postal Service, sometimes weeks after it was posted.

Even though we understood that we would never meet in person, I have learned that two of my treasured cyber friends (Clydene and Barb), who I met on the NOTH website, have come to the end of their earthly journey. We enjoyed many chats online over the years and looked forward to meeting at our Eternal Home.

Clydene was the first person who sent me an invitation to be her friend, and I was pleased to accept. Her home was in an area that we would pass through on a planned road trip to Branson, MO. I have never forgotten the unexpected email from her, inviting us to stop by her home to enjoy some iced tea and conversation on her porch. It was an opportunity to meet face to face, but a local hurricane caused us to take a different route, and we didn’t get to her home. We continued to exchange many private messages on The Hill, sharing our interests, our hobbies, and even our families. I enjoyed reading her stories that she posted in Blogs on NOTH.

Barb introduced me to her location on the island country that my father visited on one of his ‘after retirement’ travel experiences. A visit to New Zealand was added to my ‘Bucket List’. I enjoyed Barb’s strong personality, her love of music, and determination to ‘keep learning’. Her independence was front and center, and I never had to wonder what she was thinking. She was opinionated and was quite willing to express it. I was attracted to that personality and our cyber ‘visits’ were often very long. We rarely exchanged graphics and pretty pictures, but enjoyed word ‘pictures’ that helped develop a treasured friendship.

Friends (and including me) have often expressed disappointment in the changes in the activities on NOTH… friendships seemed to be more about pretty graphics that are available to any and all computer users, instead of developing a friendship that may become a treasure. Years ago, many of us were introduced to Pen Pals in school. We learned to write letters to someone our age who lived in another country. For some, the friendships that developed in school were treasured for many years, but rarely presented the opportunity to meet in person.

I miss the emails from Clydene and Barb, but am so thankful for their friendship. I treasure the ongoing cyber friendships that I still have, even though I have not been as active online these past several months. I appreciate the emails, the private messages and comments posted on my page, and the patience of my friends with the late or forgotten replies.

They are my treasured cyber friends.