Lately, we've had all kinds of little firestorms concerning situations where some believe that we're being played, some believe that someone really does need support and some believe that others just want some advice.

As one who is here on a daily basis and reads most of the posts in my forums, I have some concerns to write about.

It is a given that there will be trolls. Trolls are people who go around the internet to various forums and post bogus tales and then sit back and giggle and rub their hands together in glee, while the supportive posters go crazy trying to help them. It is also a given that there are people who are addicted to internet attention. They will go to great lengths to keep a thread going and to keep the comments rolling in.

It is also a given that people come here who are hurting and have no answers and need some help immediately. As ordinary human beings, without degrees in psychology, etc., it is hard to discern who is who at times. Frustration and hurt can set in, especially when it starts to feel as if you are being played. It has happened here many times and it will happen again.

For the good people who log-in here daily and really go about being supportive and lending a hand to almost everyone that logs on, I offer my deepest gratitude. I've always received glorious help, when I asked for it. I try to return that help ten-fold.

Logging in here everyday and then working for a couple of hours(or a lot more), trying to help someone can be rewarding and it can be frustrating. It is impossible to know if someone is real online. But there are many people who do jump right in and offer what they have, to help. To you people who do this and really lean into the pain, thank you! It's a hard job , but we have to do it!
xoxoxo pat