Friendship

Katie Renz died yesterday and it hit me even harder than I thought it would.  You see, Katie and I have never actually met IRL.  I have never spoken to her on the phone.  Yet, I considered her a friend.  I met Katie online on the Papertrey Ink Forum, way back when it first opened.  Katie was one of my first online crafting friends.  She visited my blog.  She left me sweet comments.  We chatted through email and later through facebook.  I visited her blog at least weekly.  We talked about silly things, like when the latest stamp goodies would be coming or if my husband was ever going to finish the club house he was building the kids, or what sugar cookie recipes were the best.  I remember going to her blog last year and reading that she had been diagnosed with cancer.  I cried.  Life is so very unfair.  No one can ever explain to me why good people have those kinds of things happen to them and rotten people run around enjoying good health.  Life. is. not. fair.  So I sit here thinking about Katie, hoping her little family is doing ok- though I know they are probably not doing ok, and wondering just what is it that makes a friend.  It seems there are no real "rules" for that.  Friendship can blossom anywhere. It can spring up in the most unlikely places.  Where ever you are now Katie, I hope you are happy and peaceful.  I hope that you know how many people you touched with your life.  I hope you know that you will be missed in lots of little ways, by lots of people who barely knew you.  I hope you know that many people, like me, counted you as a friend.