Community

I did some university marking this last semester, for the course that I finished last year. The subject was IT in libraries and in the first assignment the students had to create a blog. One student had a little rant on hers about how horrifying it was to see bloggers pouring their hearts out to people they don't know, and how she hoped they had real friends and colleagues to share with. I told her that if she couldn't see online interactions as real, she would have trouble providing real library services to people online.

Over the past year and a half, though you haven't heard my voice online, I have experienced the power of blogs to provide real community in a global environment. Through Tim's blog I was introduced to Tricia's and through her's came to read Ellie's. Ellie is a little girl around Jossie's age who has been fighting cancer for the last year and a half and hundreds of people, all over the world, have taken the journey with her thanks to her mother Sarah. Sarah shared their lives with us and I know that I am a better person because of it. Sarah has had to depend totally on God through this traumatic time and her faith, as well as her witness to God's perfect faithfulness, has strengthened my own. In return Sarah has really appreciated the support and prayers of people she has never met. Ellie lost her battle on Wednesday night and has gone home. Though I am happy for Ellie, I am devastated for the family and have shed so many tears. I want to say to myself that I shouldn't be so upset, that I don't really know these people, but that isn't true. I have come to love them as part of my family, and we are family in Christ. I may never meet them but I will continue to pray for them as they live their lives without Ellie.

And so I am back online. I can see the value of sharing my life with people I don't get to see day to day. We don't have any family here in Wagga so this really is a great way of letting them know what we are up to.

Below is our Christmas tree. We always had a real tree when I was growing up and I love the smell of a real tree. This one, however, can be put up on the first of December, comes with built-in lights(!), and doesn't make a mess. It has too many presents underneath it already. Bethany has left them alone, which surprises me. Jossie and Toby, however, have read the tags so often that the wrapping paper is starting to get a bit stressed. No touching from now on!

Today Toby has a friend over. He was meant to come over on Wednesday but threw up in the car on the way over - thanks Liam for not doing it when you got here! So they are at the Junee pool now having a swim and when they get home I'm sure they'll spend the rest of the day playing the gameboy like they did first thing. I have thirteen days off in a row! Pretty good considering I have only had to take three days leave - public libraries rock! But I'll tell you all about that another day...