My friend Mickey_lou

I've never met Marian or, as we knew her, Mickey_lou, in real life. But I call her a dear friend and today I am saddened by her loss. I know that she was still a young woman, that she was married to a wonderful man and had two cute little boys. I know that she lived in Australia. I know that her favorite colors were red and blue (something we have in common). I know that she faced the world with a cheerful attitude.

I met Mickey_lou in the wonderful virtual world of the internet. I am thankful that this technology brought us together. Too often, computers are said to cause alienation, that the solitary nature of personal computer use drives us further and further away from others. My experience has been the exact opposite. I am a participating member of an online community made up primarily of women, of all ages and stages of life, all shapes & sizes, of various religious and political views, each of them unique yet drawn together from around the globe by a love for scrapbooking, for both the idea and the process of cherishing our family, our friends, the memories and moments of our lives.

There's a little corner of that online community that began as a place called Simplifying Your Life that recently underwent a little updating to become Managing Your Life. That little corner was the ideal location for those of us who struggled with keeping our lives simple and manageable but was also for those to whom it came more naturally yet were ready to lend a helping hand and give moral support to those who were struggling. A little corner where people could get to know one another a little more. After all, when you've shown each other, through photos, the deepest, darkest secrets of the mess in your house, you're now the closest of friends!

That's where I met Mickey_lou. It was her suggestion that we have a separate (infamous for its length) chatting thread to prevent on-topic threads from being hijacked repeatedly. Each day for a long time, she began our daily to-do thread. Her cheeriness was infectious. We all felt her excitement as she awaited the arrival of her niece. We celebrated with her when it appeared her cancer was all gone. We cried with her when it returned. We were there with her as she went through her treatments. And for the last few months, we prayed for her and awaited updates from her husband as Mickey_lou could no longer share the news herself.

Thursday, March 13, 2008, we decided to hold a Tribute Day for Mickey_lou. Women around the world spent the day doing things that were important to her: being with their family members, cleaning and decluttering their homes even if it was only for 15 minutes, scrapbooking their memories and taking care of themselves by making appointments for health-related activities. We wore red and blue clothing while hoping and praying for a miracle for Mickey_lou.

Saturday, March 15, 2008, Mickey_lou departed this world, her pain and suffering at an end. We, her friends who never met her, are left behind to grieve, to turn to one another to share this feeling of sadness and perhaps, to resolve to each day remember Mickey_lou and what she taught us. Take care of yourself. Love your family and friends. Enjoy life's moments because you can clean up most anything 15 minutes at a time.