Thanks Sept, Heather, Fuzzy, Lady, Heidu, and MA... your kindness means a lot. I'm not overly sensitive to hostility (which might not have been the precise word I was looking for, but that's not important right now) but a few incidents here, in Chat and otherwise, have left me feeling very uncomfortable to try to help others or to ask for help for myself. I still learn by reading other people's posts, which is why I haven't "gone elsewhere" as suggested. It's not a matter of letting bygones be bygones... I see the same behavior continuing among others, unrelated to me, so I know that it's not just a matter of me letting it go.

I miss all of you and would love to keep in contact via PM or otherwise... as I said, I still lurk on this board pretty much daily, so in the background, I am cheering your successes and hurting when you hurt.

Heather - I am thinking about you often, and although I'm not religious, I "pray" for you and your nephew Daniel in my own way

MA - you HAVE been quiet lately, but I've been wondering how your new job is going and whether you still are travelling very much. And how is Alex adjusting to your new routine?

Heidu - I'm sorry that the meds are having the weird side effects. Thank you very much for your external support -- as I said before, things got much worse but right now we seem to be on a bit of an upswing, and I'm grateful for that. I hope you wowed the Norskies with your Thanksgiving dinner this year. I'm embarrassed to say that I never made it to the grocery store and didn't cook until yesterday (Friday).

Fuzzy - your thought-provoking questions kick butt in a //39 kind of way. I certainly miss you in Chat also... you know that you were my favorite -- you are a spectacular reader ("listener"), have remarkable objectivity, definitely win the award for the best use of emoticons, but you stay up entirely too late and I worry about you!

LadyD - I got your egreeting - that was so so so sweet of you and it came at a time when I really needed some kindness. It had been an awful set of days otherwise. I replied back with an egreeting to you, but I never received confirmation (from Yahoo Greetings) that you received it.

Sept - your life seems to be sailing smoothly now that your court case is over. Just a few more days until Check #1 arrives! Yay!

Foolish (if we haven't scared you off yet) - #1: you are not boring and you know it but maybe you just need to hear people tell that to you as reinforcement. Ok. You have a lot offer and I think you're doing yourself a big disservice when you push people away by putting yourself down or by saying that people aren't capable of giving you the kind of friendship you are looking for. Good friendships and trust are not instantaneous - they take time to build on both sides. #2: you once told me that you were surprised that I understood you, and that you sent my posting to some of your friends to help them understand you as well. So yeah, it hasn't been in-person, but I liked to think that you got something out of at least that particular post, if not all of the help and friendship the others here have tried to give you.

Peace,
LMo

We are ALL going to be a-ok!