A Hello and a Thank-you

Hello there, my lovelies.

Thank you so much for patiently waiting for my return. I've missed you all, and it's nice to be here. It has been a huge couple of weeks for our family, but we're now coming through the other side, stronger than we were before. Scarred and wounded and violated, but nicer, and more considerate, and more conscious of the importance of strong family bonds and great friends.

My Dad had many, many friends. As I looked around the many hundreds of people that had come to give thanks for my Dad on Tuesday afternoon, I couldn't help but feel a certain amount of pride for this man who to me was just Dad, but to these people was a colleague, or a fellow Gideons member or the President of their Probus club, or a work mate on a farm, or a childhood pal or ...well...or something. My Dad did lots and lots of stuff, and in everything he did it was the friends he made that were important to him.

But there were a smattering of people there on Tuesday who didn't know my Dad very well at all, and no, they weren't just there for the free feed - or I don't think they were - they were there because they were friends of mine...or of my brother...or of my sister. They were there because we were hurting and they cared. It was so good to see them, and they were such an incredible support on that terribly sad day.

I have just returned from the post office where I posted a couple of the Orders of Service to friends that I truly believe would have been amongst that number at the Church in Geelong to support me if they'd lived nearer and been able. I've never even met these girls, but they're amongst my closest friends and I know they care about me just as much as the friends who hugged me and held my hand on Tuesday.

I know them because of A Peaceful Day. I know them because I blog.

Many of the people I've come to know through the blogosphere blog no more. Too time consuming, they say. Time that should be spent with family or homeschooling or cleaning the house. Unnecessary, addictive, and unproductive. Oh, how I disagree! Blogging for me is a lifeline. Blogging is me time. It is time spent with good friends. For me blogging is terribly, terribly important.

In the past three weeks I've been too busy to write much, but I've lapped up your sweet messages and condolences like rain soaking into the parched sands of the desert. I've read them over and over. I've popped in to many of your blogs too - not to comment, but just so that I know what's happening in your lives and to keep some sanity in my own.

I live in a small country town. There are no homeschoolers and few Christians. As a family we are very private and keep to ourselves a good deal. You girls, to me, are my community. You are my friends. You make me happy.

Blogging makes me happy. And when I'm happy my family is happy. The ironing may not get done, but in the scheme of things does that really feature that highly? Not to me it doesn't.

I'll be away for the next ten days or so spending time with my Mum while Jemimah and her Daddy hit the slopes of Falls Creek for their annual Daddy-daughter ski trip. But there is no chance that I'll be gone for good. If I did that I'd lose all of you.

Thank you for hanging in there for me.

Thank you for leaving me nice messages.

Thank you for making me laugh.

Thank you for being my friend.

Thank you for being YOU!

With love,

Jeanne xxx