Blogworld vs. Real Life

When your blog life and your real life come together it is a bit surreal.

A couple of weekends ago that happened when Alan and Katie Smith happened to be in our area and made contact with our church. Mrs. Rabe posted about that here. It was so neat to meet this sweet young couple and their two boys. Dancing English Country Dance to the sound of Alan's Violin/fiddle was so much fun. Holding young Roni and watching little Brett play was great.

Today, a blog friend that I have not met in person will be arriving in PA from CA.
Only yesterday I was concerned as I read on her blog about the proximity of the epicenter of the earthquake in Chino Hills, CA. Now, in the next day or so, I will be giving Miss Paula a real life welcoming hug. Wow! That is so cool.

We have emailed our prayer requests and concerns to each other. We have had behind the scenes debates and discussions about church and our preferences therein. We have rejoiced in the lives of our children and sometimes tearfully shared concerns about the same. I feel as if Miss Paula and I are already great friends.

I wonder if our meeting will help or hinder our blog friendship. I am guessing it will make it stronger and help us to know each other's communication style. Often times when things are written it is easy to take it in a way that is not intended as we do not know the one who is writing. We do not know their inflections, sense of humor and background. Knowing these things can be helpful when reading another's blog.

I will never forget in my early blogging days, I commented to a dear woman who's daughter was going through "endo" (endometriosis). I had been an endodontic assistant in the dental field for a couple of years and immediately thought she meant her daughter was going to have a root canal. I told her that I hoped her daughter's endo would be behind her soon and that her mouth would feel better soon. I received a kind but perplexed response regarding my comment. Her daughter has endometriosis and it is not "in her mouth". We got a chuckle out of it and have built a friendship that may never have happened were it not for my misunderstanding. I am so glad this sweet lady said, "Huh?" O.k., if you knew her you would know she would never be so blunt. But, the point being that she followed up and did not allow my seemingly strange comment to sit be misunderstood.

I am ready to meet Miss Paula. Even though my home is not in its shiniest form...the Church looks good, though...all of my energy seems to be going there, of late. That is nearing completion.

By the way, as an aside, soon after my children, myself and two extra friends reached the bowling alley yesterday and had begun our first games, the trucking company called to say that the truck carrying the next load of church chairs was sitting at the church and wanted someone to come unload them. Frustration set in as I had been carefully waiting for this call but made the choice to attempt to go to bowling for just a couple of hours. Thankfully my dear husband was able to leave work and go meet the truck. Sigh....

Occasionally I read of another pair of bloggers who meet up, intentionally or otherwise. Those stories fascinate me. Part of the "fun" of blogging is being anonymous...but that does not last long. We are relational people and we tend to reach out to those who share our interests and we make friends. We find ourselves caring about chemo and radiation treatments, about each other's homemaking skills and techniques, decorating tips and so much more. We become a part of each other's lives....usually this is virtual.

Have you met up with a blog friend?

What did it mean to you?
Leave me a comment...and have a great day!

Note: I would not be quick to meet a virtual stranger, however, I am already great friends with her family locally so I am very sure of the person that I will meet in person. I would urge caution in meeting "virtual friends".