Heavy heart and on-line friends

I was going to post about the Gay Romance Literature retreat but my heart is too heavy. I found out today that an on-line friend passed away. I don't know the details or the circumstances and I'd never spoken to him in person or on the phone, but I liked him a lot and found him to have a humorous and caring soul.

 This is just another example of how important on-line relationships can be, how close we can get to people we've never actually met, people we may never meet. Net friends are the lifeline of some of us who tend to hermit ourselves away from real life friends, and in a lot of cases, my on-line friends know more about me, about my feelings, about my hopes and dreams than the people who know me in real life.

I'm lucky to have a handful of RL friends who support and "get me" but my net friends are just as important and often more accessible when I need them or when they need me. I'm not trying to be preachy or anything like that, I'm just tired of people telling me my friends on-line aren't real friends - this weekend at GRL, where I met a bunch of those friends, was proof that those friendships can become just as real. And the emotions I'm feeling with the passing of my "friend" are also proof enough for me.

My condolences, best wishes and thoughts go out to Mores' family and friends. Rest in peace, my friend.