Day 260
It was a full day here, running errands, cooking and playing with the grandkids. It was all in all a nice day. These simple days which may seem unremarkable on the surface are actually the best days we will often experience.
Tonight I took a second to browse through FaceBook. I was shocked to read a fairly recent friend of mine had passed away, seemingly very suddenly. It has hit me hard which may seem strange to some considering the short length of our friendship.
He was evidently a very loved and highly regarded man. People have known him their entire life and are just devastated by his passing. Our friendship is just a fleeting moment in what was evidently a life very well lived.
This man was a country guy. Easy going, loved to talk and always had a kind word for everyone. He taught me how to cut cabochons out of slabs of rock — something I always wanted to learn to do. I was only one of the hundreds of students he had over the years. I never saw him when he was not smiling. I will miss him.
I learned shortly after we met that he was a preacher at a small church nearby. I was not surprised. He was that kind of guy. One who lived each day in goodness. The kind of preacher we all wish we had.
It’s funny how people we have known for a relatively short period of time can touch us more than people we have known our entire life. These kinds of friendships go unnoticed because they are so seemingly insignificant. But they are not.
I have come to know my fellow bloggers here and care about the things you share. I wanted you to know that. We may be but a blip on the radar of each other’s lives, but one that I consider dear to me.
Godspeed, Robert. You will be missed.
fromcavewalls.wordpress.com 
I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like a very good man transcended.
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Maggie, so very very sorry to hear about your friend Robert. But what a sweet legacy he left with how he touched so many lives with his smile and caring ways. What a loss .
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Sometimes the loss of an online friend feels just as real as when it was someone you had met and known well. I have lost a few blogging friends in the last seven years, and still miss them now.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I am sorry for the loss of your friends, Maggie. I think, when we find truly good people, a friendship can develop quickly, even in a vitual setting. I feel very close to many people I only know through comments and photos.
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You have articulated what I’ve thought very well. I am always on the lookout for two of my blogger buddies posts as they are ‘older’ and I worry I won’t know if their silence is due to death or just taking a respite from blogging…a whole new dynamic in on-line friendships…
So sorry to hear of your new friend’s passing.
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oh i am so sorry about the passing of your new friend, Maggie. yes, we see the goodness of people from the words they write and it is not hard to develop a true friendship even online. i will say a prayer for Robert and I’m sending you peaceful and warm thoughts.
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It is very sad to lose friends even if we have only known them for a short time. I remember I was searching through my group of friends who are many, not because I am so special, but because we share a love of a particular type of fiber art. I came across the facebook photos of two of my friends who had passed some time ago, both by suicide, and I was so distraught to see those two photos as if those people were still in our world. I asked some folks about deleting the photos, noting how difficult it was for me, but how at the same time, I did not want to have those photos suddenly coming up again and again. It is difficult enough to see them once again and to remember their passing and they were both very highly talented people. Some of the people got very upset with me because I wanted to remove their photos, but in the end, I had to do what was right for me, not them. Those two people were in so much pain that they could not think about the effect of their actions on others who loved them and had known them not just online, but in person for years. Those people were not their friends, and they did not have to deal with the pain of a suicide and trying to wonder if we could have done anything different to prevent it. Anyway, I still think about that and every time I do, I am greatly saddened because they both had such gifts to offer the world. Thank you for sharing your story too. It meant a lot to me, even though I had to remember the folks who they left behind that included me. I hope that they have somehow found the peace they were seeking, but such a sad thing.
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I’m sorry for your loss. It is never easy to lose anyone with whom we develop a relationship. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
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So sorry about the loss of your friend Robert. I have found that my online friends are as dear to my heart as the ones I know in person. Hugs, Memarge:)
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Thank you, Marge. He was a dear sweet soul and I miss knowing he is here.
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I’m very sorry to read of your loss. It’s that kind of connection, that kind of goodliness on impact, that made his friendship so dear to you. He sounds like the kind of man who will always be terribly missed.
For the record, I care deeply about writers in my WP Community, too. And often, their pets. It’s a new and modern friendship style, but the emotions are old and reliable.
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