When I first started this blog I was a lot more diligent about posting. I set up several pages and had some links to some really good places. I had a link to a great place. Apparelyzed.com. We've recently learned that as of December 15th, all of that will be gone. Apparelyzed simply will no longer be. Thousands of pages of advice, posts, friends, posts from friends who'd moved on, and some no longer living. All of it gone in the blink of an eye.
There was always a game to play, a post to groan over, a plot to be hatched and a friend to be made. We were the school yard of misfits hanging by the swings or slides, we were the jocks and the preppy kids, we were the nerds. We were the modern day Breakfast Club. We were a bunch of unlikely people all blended together due to a common cause. An injury bound us all regardless of how affected or unaffected we were by the injuries. On that site we found others who could understand the complex feelings and thoughts we locked away inside. With one or two words hundreds of people could read between the lines and know our hearts.
Sure, there are other sites out there dedicated to the same conditions, but no site will ever be like that site. No friends will ever mesh the way many of us meshed there. There were differences of opinion, we didn't see eye to eye, We often argued, sometimes it got nasty, but it was just something that happend in a family. I felt a sense of community there that I've not found in any other place including groups I've started. There was something about "that place" something about the people. That site was a testament to our growth, it was a tissue for our tears, the popcorn for our laughter and hundreds of friends all waiting to give advice, a shoulder to cry on or a kick in the pants when needed.
A wonderful man, a very kind and generous man created that site out of nothing over 10 years ago. He saw a need and without much, if any, question he jumped in and started filling that gap with his own emotional, physical and financial investments. The place took an enormous amount of time and energy. I could see in the 5 years I was there how much it was taking away from him and his enjoyment. It was a labor of love.
There are times when all good things come to an end, it's sad this is one of those things, but that's the way life is. It's a series of loves, losses and growth. I've grown from my time there. I've grown in ways I'd never imagined. I know people now I never would have met before. We've shared our details and have started to make our way in the world. Our "Boss" has pushed us from the nest and we're hoping we soar.
Maybe one day another brave and kind soul will take a seed from one of us and create a new safe haven to shelter and nurture those who need community. Maybe one day there will be others like us nurturing, wise cracking and loving each other in their own twisted ways. Maybe one day we will see the new garden or the nest that will rise from the past and forge a new path.
I am thankful I had my time there, I am so grateful for the people I've met and bonded with. I'm grateful for the brothers and sisters I've met, loved, lost and kept. With rose tinted glasses I will look into the past and remember only the good times because what use do I have for bad times? With rose tinted glasses I will greet the future, but I may move them aside for healthy skepticism and trolls....oh those trolls!!