Hello, Goodbye

This blogging thing is so much more than I thought it would be. I started blogging to connect with other knitters, and more or less keep track of the projects I was working on. Little did I know that I would develop such friendships and connections with people I have never met "in person." I have shared in "highs" of welcoming new babies (both the two legged and four-legged-furry variety), the "lows" of losses of family members (again, both the two legged and four-legged-furry variety) and every emotion in between. (The most recent "high" is the addition of a baby boy to Silfert and her dear hubby of the Music, Knits and Cookies website. Congratulations!)

But I really should back-track a bit. A few years ago I stumbled upon the Socknitters forum. Some of the knitters there had blogs, but I wasn't really sure what a blog really was about. After reading one of the Yarn Harlot's books, I went to her blog and became addicted. (I know, I started at the top, right?) From the Yarn Harlot, I found Shelly Kang's "The Heathen Housewife" blog, and after that I was a "clickin' fool," clicking from one blog to another to another.

I first considered starting my own blog in the fall of 2006 when I was reading all about the Secret Pal swaps and how much fun other knitters were having with their pals. One of the requirements to participate in the swap was that you have a blog, so I decided to dip my feet in the water. The next time Secret Pal swaps came around, I was ready! I filled out the application, posted the questionnaire, and waited for my assignment.

Much to my delight, I was assigned a wonderful secret pal to spoil...Heather of the Crafty Momma blog. She had three beautiful kids (6 year old girl and two boys, 2 years and 7 months old), a loving husband, two dogs, a cat, and best of all, lived on an island off the coast of Maine. Can you imagine? It takes over an hour by ferry to get to the mainland! How great is that? Heather and I kept in touch even after the swap ended last Spring. We would email every few weeks or so, and stay in touch through each other's blogs.

Heather died last week. She was 32 years old. Her husband lost a loving wife, and her kids lost a wonderful mom, who loved her kids fiercely and fought for them like a momma bear protecting her cubs. Her obituary says she "died unexpectedly at her home" on April 17th. I feel as though I have lost a very good friend. What am I saying? I have lost a very good friend. I have so many questions, and no answers. Not that the answers matter, really, because the bottom line is there are three little kids on an island off the coast of Maine who just lost their Mom. My heart breaks for them.