I have been sitting here reading posts and making comments this morning. I have been listening to music on youtube and then some on here. Deb shared Daughtry's song "Crashed Into You" and now I am listening to more of his music. (I really should be cleaning house or searching for jobs but you know how it is when you get on mybloggers.)

I just felt moved to write a blog about how mybloggers, and Blogster first, has been such an integral part of my life. Those of you who know me from my posts know that my life had been one of depression and isolation for some time. I began blogging after finding that my third husband was on Blogster, and then after writing I enjoyed the experience so much that I continued.

Of course, most everyone here is familiar with the move to mybloggers after Eddie sold the other site and physical changes with Blogster motivated many to move. Not to mention the politically charged atmosphere and great animosity that seems to reign over there to this day.

There were many changes in my life over the past four years, and in the midst of all of that, I threw myself into caring for my once significant other R and both of my children without realizing that I should have cared more for myself. In that time I lost so much of my identity and because of situational experiences and chemical imbalance, I became very depressed.

It was through all of those times that I was blogging and making friends online through Blogster and then mybloggers. It was people that became my friends who were consistently there to be a part of my day and my life when I was so isolated. It was their triumphs and difficulties that helped fill my days when I was too afraid to live my own life and venture out into the world.

My daughter's aunt/my friend cannot understand the virtue of such relationships with people online, ones that she says I will never meet and that such friendships cannot be real. Those of you who are a part of this community understand that this kind of thinking is in error. It truly is these bonds that make our lives more fulfilling, that give us hope when there seems there is none, that brighten our days with simple chitchat about our lives. There is the sharing of humor that entertains and the posting about information that educates and opens our horizons.

I am thankful for this site and the one that came before it, as it has been a forum to write and share and sort out my life. It continues to be the same, as it is for so many here. I cannot imagine what the past few years what have been like without it, as I mentioned before, it has truly been an important part of my life.

I know that there are many like me that have few financial resources and spend much time at home and on their computer because they are unemployed or retired or maybe even home bound. Being on mybloggers allows all of us and everyone else to travel the world and enjoy the friendships we have with a diverse group of people without ever leaving where we exist. We are fortunate to have this opportunity.

I guess this post was just a way for me to say how much I appreciate the friendships and bonds that I experience here and how grateful I am that there have been so many that were so steadfast for the past years. What happens here is very real and very special and for some, a very important part of their everyday life.

I do want to say that in the years I have known some of you, I have been blessed to witness the changes in your lives and the growth that you have experienced. The victories that you have accomplished have been encouragement for others, and I thank you for sharing that. I look forward to the time ahead where these important friendships and relationships can deepen.

Thank you, Eddie, for giving a handful of us a place to be. I know this site is a small fish in a big pond of blogging sites, but we really do appreciate that it is here.