What a sad day.
A priest friend of mine died in his sleep last night. Met him with some of my friends at AFCC when we donated a statue of St. Padre Pio almost three years ago. He always included us in his prayers and healing masses. He was just 62. Maybe God has other plans for him but I feel sad that he passed on suddenly. It was a blessed and peaceful death. Yesterday, one of my friends attended the ordination of five seminarians at La Salette. That was the last time he’d seen Fr. Chris alive.
I was cleaning the list of contacts I follow here on WordPress just this morning. Most of them followed but some have stopped blogging. I never see them on my feed. I have a greatly reduced number of bloggers I follow. Contrary to what other people think, it is quite hard to maintain a blog. We are not always inspired to write and we are not always inclined to share what is happening in our lives. Once you get out of cyberspace for long, you are forgotten.
I noticed that most of my online friends here are now retirees like me. You might reason out, we have the time in our hands to blog, right? Wrong. Even if you have enough time in your hands if you are not fond of writing and dedicated enough to maintain a blog, it would be a useless exercise. There are some of us who consider blogging a lifestyle. I am one. It seems that when you start a blog, it won’t be complete if you won’t update it now and then. Never mind if nobody reads it but you. You find fulfillment in publishing your own post. Having a lot of followers is a bonus. and you’ll be glad if your blog gets noticed in cyberspace. Some of us start on one particular subject like books, gardening, photography and family life. It is a little easier though if you have a variety of things to blog about. And it is even nicer to read about current happenings than reading about subjects that happened a long, long time ago. Occasionally, it’s okay though.
Last year I copied a few lines somewhere. Sorry I can’t remember now but I give proper credit to the writer. Sometimes, a soul out there in cyberspace echoes your own thoughts and you smile because you remember your own struggle with words. I love this:
“Pencils are patient. They don’t act as harbingers of deadlines, rather, they offer sustenance to the challenged mind. Who hasn’t tasted the metallic triumph of chewing on an eraser’s casing at the end of a pencil? Who hasn’t drummed a pencil on a desk, twirled one to tune out a teacher or broken one in half, releasing an unleashed dormant Lou Ferrigno?”
How often do you update your blog? Do you find fulfillment in blogging?
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend – it is events like these that make you think about your own life.
Love and best wishes to you xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Samantha. I was surprised about it. Yes, we think of our own mortality in times like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very sorry to hear of the death of your friend, Arlene. So young too, at 62.
Blogging ‘clean ups’ are good to do. I have many followed sites who no longer post, so I unfollow them when that becomes apparent, and follow someone new instead. I have to set a maximum number of followed sites, or would spend all day reading and commenting.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Pete. yes he was so young.
Isn’t it nice if we could interact with those bloggers who we follow and those who follow us too? Most of the time, I encounter followers whose site is no longer there. I guess it is just right if you have a maximum number of sites that you follow, those you can share comments with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
First of all, condolences for your loss. May your memories of him sustain you. Secondly, thank you for keeping me on. I really should follow your example in tidying up. What began for me as a way of keeping in touch with my family has developed into something much more – so many new friendships. Because I write about each day and what it conjures up for me, I have a variety of subjects to call on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Derrick.
Rest assured I will follow your blog even if you create a new one. As for the tidying up, I guess it’s necessary. I love to find new bloggers too that I could add to my list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your friend was too young of course, but who wouldn’t wish to avoid the attendant illnesses that we usually hear about when someone dies? Dying in your sleep sounds like a blessing. As far as blogging goes I’m so new at it that my mind flits from idea to idea that I might write about. I have to force myself to pin one down and see if I can make a post out of it. Already I have wondered if it will become a chore at some point, or if I will run out of ideas, but for now it is fun to try.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sue.
I agree with you, blogging is fun when you have lots of ideas to share. Sometimes though it is hard to keep up. We’re here and that what counts. Happy blogging.
LikeLike
So sorry to hear that you’d lost a friend. It’s especially hard when it’s so sudden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is Miriam, thank you so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arlene – sorry for the loss of your priest friend, may his soul rest in peace with Jesus & all the saints (Padre Pio inclusive.) I, too, miss many blogging buddies from when I started 6 yrs ago. Perhaps life became too busy &/or too complicated.to keep goimg. But lately I’ve been blessed finding & interacting with a few new bloggers. It’s taken a bit of time in the evenings ‘looking around’ the blogosphere but glad to find kindred spirits. Thank YOU for being such an encourager. While cleaning up posts to send a friend found some of your past comments when I was sporadically blogging (immersed in the caregiving gig) & they meant a lot. Blessings!!! Virginia 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Virginia.
As I have said a few times, blogging has become a way of life for me. I crave to write about my adventures in life and it is nice to know that some read them. Let us keep blogging and updating each other.
LikeLiked by 1 person
so sorry about your priest friend, Arlene. eternal rest grant unto him o Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.
i have a short list of blogs i follow which is manageable. i have two favorites that stopped blogging and i miss them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Wilma.
I miss those blog that I follow too Wilma. Ang gagaling nila pero wala na.
LikeLike
How sad to lose a friend!
Blogging has become a way of life for me. I would write, even if no one read my things, but it’s marvelous to get feedback.
When people slowly sink out of sight, I still follow their blogs, hoping they will come back some day. It doesn’t take any time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Anne. Yes it is sad especially when it is sudden.
I just deleted a few who have been gone for years. Happy blogging Anne.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So sorry to hear of your friend’s death. I’m glad it was peaceful. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Jean.
LikeLike
Heartfelt condolences Arlene on your friends demise.
I too have seen many who follow the blog and disappear. Regular cleaning is a must to keep the blog clutter free.
I loved the quote on the pencil. Simply beautiful 👌
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Radhika. Hope you are doing good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. All good😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is such a sad shock when someone dies unexpectedly. I am sorry that you lost such a young priest. I mostly love the international knowledge I am gaining from blogging. I now follow news from Kashmir, Morocco, England, The Philippines, and Ghana, among others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Elizabeth. Good to know you are going places in your blogging. Keep it up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome dear.
LikeLike
Well said, Arlene! I have spent time to update, just keep posting. 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Amy. Be blessed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I update blog when I finish reading a book.. But its been 14days since I started blogging so early days
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a virtual library at Goodreads. That’s where I update the books I’ve read. Thank you for dropping by Shalini.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arlene I am still not able to get friendly with goodreads I have no idea why.. I find it to muddling my brain can’t seem to find GR user friendly
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s where I read book reviews and find new titles. Sorry to hear about that Shalini.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think i have to be constant with goodreads to really understand it. I just make visits and leave
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sad for your loss, Arlene. You can probably tell that I love my blogging world, and I usually post 3 times a week. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jo. Yes, I love visiting your site and reading your posts. Keep blogging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry to hear about your friend, but we have the hope of Jesus’ resurrection and eternal life. I think we like you go through our followers list now and then. I had taken a break a bit longer than I anticipated but I hope to be back to weekly posts. It does take a lot of time to go through all these blogs and it hard to not read them because they are all so interesting and encouraging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Patty. Looking forward to your next post.
LikeLiked by 1 person