Feb 5th

It's almost ten pm and I gaze over at Ben and ask "What am I grateful for today"?

He notices my laptop battery signal is in the red, leans over and plugs me in and says "that I give your laptop power?"

Well yes darling, but I can't construct a whole blog post about just that!

So I got to thinking about my day.  Mostly uneventful in the extraordinary sense.

Hanging out with Ben and Lu at home.  A little bit of shopping for the cat (it's her birthday *smile*).  A little bit of baking and a little bit of online action.

Lucy *helping* Moo blow out her candles

And that's where I paused.  Online action.  Online friendships.  Online access.

I could count more than 50 people in the last 2 years that I have grown to know - just via online communication.  Via facebook, via online forums, via blogs.

AMAZING PEOPLE!

People I would not have had the opportunity to get to know, had I been restricted to my immediate community (and luckily for me - some happen to *be* within that immediate community!!).

But most are not.

Take April for example.  April I met online via JB a couple of years ago and later in person through JB meets.  April pops foremost in my mind because I have spent most of the last hour discovering even more about this beautiful, fascinating woman through her blog - which has only just come to my attention.

And then there's April's wife, Clare.  And Clare's husband Steven.  A gorgeous couple who fell in love as childhood sweethearts and remain as in love and besotted with each other now as they were 17 years and six children ago.

And of course Sazz.  Who I am blessed to get a regular fix of, along with her two scrumptious girls.  And Sazz's wife Sarah, who I have only just become to know last year (we are blessed with eldest daughters of similar temperaments and therefore enjoy a glass of wine or two together in celebration from time to time *smile*).

Then there's the raw food crew, whom thanks to FB I have become quite friendly (and at times quite smutty!) with.  

And all the wonderful, wonderful women on JB - and later FB when we all outed ourselves IRL, stepping out from behind our handles.  The friendships, the laughter, the heckling, the commiserations, the support, the challenges, the joy, the love.  

So enriching.  So time-consuming!  But so, sooooo important.

I am grateful for technology availability.  For me and for those that I have come to love and cherish via a screen and modem.  I am grateful for networking of like minds, places where we can come together for each other and for ourselves.  And I am grateful for the generosity of spirit.  Of those who share a little of their souls with me - directly and indirectly via their personal blog or online forum.  I have come to learn so much, benefit so much - both about the men and (mostly) women in my virtual life and about myself as a result.  I do so much enjoy revelations - of all kinds.

Reading April's blog tonight, I came to a post about her JMan.  How he is her best friend (although she doesn't actually like the term 'best', because friendship isn't something to be measured - how right she is!) and it sent a huge surge through my heart and body for the man sitting beside me.  

How I have been absent, in my own little world for a few days now and how I feel I have been neglecting a very precious person who deserves more of me than I have had available lately.

Thank you April, for my timely wake up call *smile*.

And on that note.....

Until tomorrow 

xx