The Annoyed Army

The Internet can be a cold place.

Hiding behind semi-anonymity, we might say things we would never say to a person's face. I think sometimes this encourages a harsher form of communication than we might employ out there in the real world.

That is why I love the discussion board concept, especially the ones I have been blessed to be a part of, because we really get to know one another, and we really do try to remain civil and respectful of one another as human beings on similar roads to the ones we ourselves travel.

Because of Free Republic and Right Politics and United Conservatives and ReaderRant and Annoyed Man, I have come to meet some wonderful people from all over this country. My life has been blessed and rewarded and uplifted and enriched by people I have met in the last six years.

In most cases, I have never heard your voices. I have not met you in person and looked into your eyes. But you are my friends, just like my offline friends are. I rejoice in your happiness, and grieve in your losses. I know what I feel is not unique, we all feel like that or we would not be here every day, sharing with one another, fighting like siblings, and praying for each other's needs. 

To lose any of you is a great tragedy, and I have lost my share of online friends through the years, and the pain is as real as losing a friend in the outside world.

So I am grieving another loss today, as I think you probably will too....

I received an email this morning from Daniel Yogman, one of the finest people I have ever met online.

Daniel has recently been doing a lot of soul searching and rethinking of his life and his priorities. And he has made a decision that he wanted to share.

He has come to realize that the most important things in his life right now are his education and his career plans, and that will no longer leave him time for the internet and the online relationships he has had with us here and at several other discussion boards. He will no longer be posting at Annoyed Man.

While I understand and respect his decision, my heart is breaking over his departure. 

Daniel has been my friend for a long time by cyber standards. He has been a faithful friend to me, and always caring about me personally. And as I said earlier, he is just about one of the finest young men I have ever met. He is thoughtful and serious and intelligent, and we have been so blessed with his contribution to this website. The future of this country looks good when there are young people like Daniel out there who are so deeply committed to the important things.

Daniel ~ if you should stop by here again and see this, I just want you to know how much you have personally meant to my life and how important you have been to me and how much I have learned from you about many things.

Shalom my dear friend.....

And of course this goes without saying....the door at Annoyed Man will always be open to you if in the future you decide it is right to come back again.

Love, 
Sharon