About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Friendship - a reason to blog

I started blogging in the summer of 2005 when I got involved in the "Senior Bachelor" adventure. Don't ask...but, I started connecting with mature, single women with similar interests and as such forged many new friendships. I met a lot of these women in person and made at least two new and strong friendships. One of the women lives in Arizona and the other in Newport, Wales. Suzanne took me to the Grand Canyon and Jane showed me around Newport and Cardiff. I will play hostess to them when they come to visit me here in Canada, hopefully soon.

I kept on blogging for the fun of it and have found that it's intriguing to meet people from all over the world. I now "know" people from not only Canada and the United States but also from Australia, Africa, Italy, France, England, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Malaysia, the Philippines, Norway, Belize, and South Africa. Thanks to blogging, the world has opened up even more and one day, when I can afford to travel, I hope to meet at least some of these people for a coffee, tea, or maybe even a stiff one.

Today I'd like to honour my friend Lee-ann at Pear Tree Cottage in Australia. We've been posting on each other's sites for quite some time now and when she heard that my daughter is expecting a baby girl, she emailed me, asking me to send her my address as she had some beautiful baby clothes that had been brought into the thrift shop where she volunteers. She said it'd give her great pleasure to be able to send them on to my daughter.

The parcel arrived today and inside was a treasure! The most beautiful baby outfits - all either brand new or hardly used. I know my daughter will be delighted, as will her 4-year-old son. Lee-ann's grandson told his Nanni that the new baby shouldn't get everything! Her big brother should receive a present, too! So, there's a little koala bear for Noah and I just know he'll be thrilled. Lee-ann has gift-wrapped the koala along with two other gifts that I didn't unwrap but will take to the expectant family on the weekend.
Australia has long been on my list of places to visit. In fact, when I was a teenager, I had a pen-pal in Melbourne, but we long ago lost touch. In grade 10, I did a HUGE report on Australia, receiving an A+, but the teacher told me he lost it. (I think he kept it as an example for future classes!) Some day, I will make it to Australia to visit Lee-Ann, Pam, Meggie, and David along with others I might "meet" along the world's blogging trail. And I would welcome all of them should they ever come this way.

So, why do I blog? Is it to receive gifts from places around the world? Of course not! Instead, it's for the network of friendships that I value. I have a very small family that is not particularly close so friendship is central to my life and helps shape who I am as a person. Ralph Waldo Emerson discusses friendship in his Essay VI and it's quite a good read.

True friendship is the most solid thing we know. Most of us have lots of acquaintances, but how many true friends can you count? Some of these blogging friends may fade away in time, but I know that some will stay and become true friends, especially when we meet in person to solidify the relationship.
THE GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP
God gives us special pleasures
When we spend our time with friends.
They're a gift beyond all measure,
Who bring joy that never ends.

God knew our need for friendship
When creating you and me,
And the lasting need for kinship
That some folks may never see.

Fellowship that flows so freely
Fills a need within our soul.
As we reach out to each other,
Feel God's spirit make us whole.

If we journey on together,
Or each go our separate ways.
May our friendship last forever,
As a gift through out our days.

copyright 2000 Nona Kelley Carver

14 comments:

Andrea said...

Sounds like you have been blessed with some wonderful friends in cyberspace through blogging.

jmb said...

It is an amazing thing, this online friendship thing. I first encountered it on a listserv I belonged to (and still do) of fans of Dorothy Dunnett and we made great friendships online and in person and at conventions.
You feel as if you really know the person when you meet and that was true when I met my first blogger friend here a few months ago.
Good post, Leslie.

Casdok said...

The gift of friendship is a very good reason to blog.
Being a carer can be very isolating and i am amazed how much my world has opened up.

Claire said...

Friends are so valuable. I have always loved letter writing and have friends from wayback but letter writing becomes harder when sometimes when work just gets in the way. Blogging allows friendships to be made across the miles in ways unknown before the event of the internet. I too have a very small family so value friends greatly. Thoughtful blog today Leslie.

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

A truly thoughtful post. Friends are so important, and I too have made some thoughtful friends through blogging.

It is lovely when I meet up with my friends, especially Sally, she got me into blogging!!!

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Sorry, I have been missing. I just caught up reading through some of your recent blogs and realised I should have been more regular. I certainly missed a lot of wonderful posts.

Country Girl said...

Here here!

Friendship and sharing. It's what it's all about!

Leslie: said...

andrea yes, I have been blessed.
jmb it is amazing, isn't it? I look forward to meeting you one day! :D
casdok I admire how you're caring for your son and this does help to create a more fulfilled life.
kissa I liked letter writing, too, and when I first used word processing, used to make hard copies of letters I wrote to a good friend & still have them today. It was like a journal.
anne I'm hoping to meet you and Sally next time I'm in England. :D
lgs yes, you've been missed here! don't stay away so long next time. ;D
country girl so glad you and I've become "friends" here.

Anonymous said...

I have some of my closest friends that I met over 15 years ago on an online bulletin board for writers. We're still friends. Most of us have blogs so we still keep up with each other. Cyberspace can bring you lots of gifts in the form of friends!

(out blog hopping and found your blog. Not sure where I came from. LOL.)

Cindy said...

When I started blogging I had no idea of all the friends I would meet along the way. Someone posted a little cartoon the other day that said, "I love my computer because all my friends live in it!" It's true.

Anonymous said...

Hi Leslie,
Well you sure can come to the "ozarks anyday!!! Friends are great to meet!!
I agree...blogging helps a person meet so many others.
Pam'Oh Da Woods
Ps...I'm excited for you with the new baby on the way!! Do they live close?

mrsnesbitt said...

Wondeful! True indeed.

When your grandchild is born, do let me have the details and I will e-mail you a birth plaque.

Dxxx

meggie said...

Lovely post Leslie! You would be very welcome should you ever come this way!
I have found a whole new world of friends & I learn new things every day, since beginning this blog. I just love meeting new people, & making friends across the whole world.

Anonymous said...

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