Forgive me if I ramble.
I have been a member of few other online communities. I am new to this one, as a poster, tho I lurked for a few weeks. I like this place, I think I will stay.
I rembember teasing a friend IRL because she talked about the people on the board “as if they were real.” And when I brought up this friend to someone else, the guy who ran the board actually, he said, “But sweetheart, it is real. An online community is as real as any other community. You start to care about these people, you think about them and they become friends.” And you know, he is right. I think I always knew, but being a half ass cynic, I refused to think that maybe I was one of those people. Now, I see the beauty in it.
I haven’t been here long, but I was here long enough to look for Wally’s posts.It got to the point where I would log on and run a search for Wally’s posts that day. I sent the links to countless friends. He made me smile, and laugh, and scream. How many times I said, I would love to chat with him, exchange emails, get to know him. I always said, I will write him tomorrow!
Reading all the tributes to Wally, I have come to understand what a message board is all about. It is friendship, based on the most basic of needs. Humor. Love. Respect. Intelligence. And on a message board, we are all having fun and enjoying eachother. Would that real life were so open and true.
Charismatic and warm, he touched so many of your lives. How I wish I had gotten to know him…how I wish I could hear his matter-of-fact, realistic, hard won and above all wickedly funny take on things personal to me. But I grieve selfishly. I did not know him. Yet I do grieve, and my thoughts are with you all, and most of all, to his family. I cannot even comprehend your loss. But allow me to share it with you.
That’s what a message board is all about.
{{{{{good vibes to Wally’s friends and family}}}}}}