Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Blogging, Blessings and Blue

I have been asked by people who know that I blog, but who do not blog themselves, what I "get" from keeping an online, interactive journal. There seems to be a sort of mystique which surrounds the blogging world. One that is not easily understood by those who have little contact with these open little alcoves in cyberspace. To those individuals who do not understand, it seems odd that there are so many of us who are willing to share the events of our lives with seemingly total strangers. And I am sure that for a time, I was more like them. I did not understand. Even when I started my own blog a bit over two years ago, I wasn't sure exactly why I was doing it. I only knew that I wanted to write and express myself through pictures. I only knew that words were very important to me. I only knew that I wanted to start somewhere.

I began writing and the words just began to pour out. I wrote about the things that mattered to me. I wrote about my four Angel Daughters, my husband and our lives together. I wrote about sea glass and my walks on the beach. I wrote about the things that brought me joy, the things that caused me pain and the things that made me think. I wrote, because it gave me an outlet from which to sort out my life. And a very interesting thing happened. People began reading. As they began reading, they began leaving me comments. I was both surprised and delighted. The words which people took the time to leave here, left me feeling energized and understood. I followed those readers back to their own blogs.(The readers who have blogs, anyway.) Something very unexpected began to occur. Over time, friendships were forged. People whom I would most certainly never have the opportunity to meet became people who I began to care about, deeply. There was a benefit to blogging that I had never even considered. It made the world a smaller, more accessible place.

A couple of months ago, I had the unique pleasure of actually meeting one of my favorite blogging friends. Her blog name is Blue and if you are lucky enough to know her, you will most certainly recognize her lovely little heart signature whenever she comments. Even without it, she would stand out as her comments are always very kind and thoughtful. One day, I got an email from Blue saying that she would be doing a quick passthrough CA with her son and that she wanted to meet me. I immediately emailed her back and told her that I would LOVE to meet her so that I could finally give her that hug in person. We made some plans to meet up the next day at the beach. Because of my illness, I am a very, very, very late riser, so by the time I woke up, my husband, Mark, and Blue had talked several times. Blue wanted to take her son to the beach, so we decided that we would meet down there. Walking down the beach, I spotted Blue, right away. It was like getting together with someone who I had met hundreds of times before. I noticed Blue in the distance wearing a lovely pink skirt, a white tee-shirt, and a floppy white hat on her head. She was barefoot, dancing in and out of the waves taking pictures of her adorable son. As I walked on the beach towards them, I noticed a piece of sky-blue sea glass on the sand. I tucked it in my pocket as I picked up the pace. Blue noticed me when I was about twenty feet away. We made our way towards one another. The hug we shared was heartfelt and genuine. For the next couple of hours, we sat and chatted as we watched her son playing in the waves. I gave her the piece of light blue sea glass that I found because it matched her eyes. Sitting and talking with Blue felt like reconnecting with an old friend. Blue's son was just precious. He was a natural in the water and talking to him made me laugh in a way that only a child can make you laugh. That pile of seaweed in the picture behind us is a pile that Blue's son collected from the ocean floor. With strength and determination, he schlepped huge amounts of seaweed out of the water and onto the sand. The tenacity of children...
When it was time to say good-bye, I asked Blue's son to take a picture for us. He took about fifteen which made us all laugh.
So how do a nice, little Jewish girl from California(New York, originally) and a sweet, loving Mormon girl from Utah(California, originally) find one another? Blogging. Surreal, somewhat futuristic, but not so far-fetched when you actually "get" it.
Once upon a time, I received the most glorious gift from Blue. After reading about my connection with sea glass, she put together a collection which she collected on the beach in Hawaii. When I unexpectedly received it in the mail one day, I was overwhelmed by Blue's kindness. For those individuals who do not understand what might possibly be gained from blogging, the answers are many. But for now, I will just start with one simple word which anyone can understand...A benefit that I, myself, never really expected, but will forever be changed by. Friendship.

10 comments:

joanne said...

Beautiful post. I know many people think this whole bloggy thing is just crazy, that I don't have anything better to do with my life, etc. But...I have also found the most beautiful people out there who care. In some ways they care more than my IRL family and friends. I'm sure it is because I am more open on the blog. Whatever it is, I am so grateful. Happy to have found my way here, to visit with you, look at your lovely sea glass with a little bit of envy!, to share our common illnesses, to support each other and to celebrate the special moments of our lives.
Take care Deb and I hope one day we get the chance to meet if only for a short while and a long hug. jj

Maria-Thérèse ~ www.afiori.com said...

Awwwwww I want to be there toooooo! :D

miruspeg said...

Ahhhh Debbie what a delightful, gorgeous post and a perfect title!
I read it very slowly and enjoyed every word.
I plan I meeting up with several of my blog friends in July/Aug 2010 and if I make my way to California, I would love to meet you and give you a big hug.

As the Bruce Springsteen song says "I'm Working On A Dream".

Take care always.
Big hugs
Peggy

PS The blogosphere rocks!!

Blue said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Blue said...

Deb! what a lovely lovely account of our meetup, and how perfectly you captured what blogging means to me, too. thank you for recording your memories so beautifully. i was on a plane last night, returning home from NYC where i had the chance to meet Lorrie (Our Name Is Mud) and her adorable family, and had a 2nd visit with another bloggy friend in the area. The treasure of friendships made online is priceless. And I agree with JoJo that perhaps it's because we are open and honest in our writing in a way that doesn't happen as often in the rest of life.

I am very overdue for a backload of posts, starting back in August. I better get hoppin!

Hugs & ♥ always,
~Blue ♥

Irene Latham said...

You've found the perfect analogy: blogging friends are like sea glass. They definitely add beauty and wonder to life. I think of you often! xxoo

Laura said...

Debra,
I have spent more time blogging this past year than any other. I have been home bound a lot due to illness and making new friends online as well as staying connected to old friends and rediscovering even older friends has made me feel like I am still part of the world and making a difference event when I'm stuck in bed. I love this piece on blogging friendships. How fortunate we are to live in a time when being at home due to chronic illness does not necessarily mean being alone.

b'shalom,
Laura

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

When I hear people say they just don't GET blogging, I quietly chuckle and just shake my head. Because unless you do and learn the true beauty of what lies beneath and behind this crazy blogging world, you WON'T ever get it.

I am simply a better person because of it.

Hallie

Lorrie Veasey said...

I feel like I'm on the It's A Small World Ride!! Blue just visited me!!

Thank you so much for the package of M & Ms Deb! Linking to your blog today. You rock. Such a true post XOXO

Ness said...

Starting and reading blogs was one of the defining moments of my life. I've met one blogger in person, talked to several on the phone and have plans to see more. It's hard to relate to people if they don't understand my chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, panic disorder, depression and thyroid cancer world. Bloggers have given me so much, sometimes a post of theirs will make the difference if I hang on one more day. BlogLand is a special place, maybe not for everyone as there has to be trust in BlogLand, but I've never, ever been screwed over by a blogger. Thanks for posting Deb. Love you.

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