I have to write this as this is on my mind so much every time I come here.
This place here, this forum has become like a home for me somehow, a source of strength, wisdom and inspiration.

I have a lot of time on my hands and I realized this place is a good one to spend some of that time. I have made some amazing friends on here and every time I get a text or a phone call from someone I have met here, it just makes my heart jump.

Every day I log in I have a lot of new messages from perfect strangers, a lot of them who have never posted anything here before, who tell me that they are following my story and that they feel touched and encouraged. (I hope I am not breaking the rules by saying this here! I am sorry if I am.) I talk to many people on here who give me hope and advice, support and strength. And I am always amazed when somebody tells me I have helped them in some way.
Yes, there is also some negative stuff, but I choose to ignore that because the positive outweighs the bad by far!

I just want to tell you how incredibly thankful I am for every single message of support, every word of advice and every comment of hope. I think many of you are stronger than you realize. Having compassion for a stranger like me and even in your own pain being able to offer support, means there is a wonderfully healthy part inside you and that makes me have so much hope.

Sometimes I cry about what I read here and I wonder why it touches me so much. And then I have to acknowledge that it's the healthy part inside me who can feel for other people and that makes me very grateful.
Every time I think about changing my status message to something more immediate I realize that my overall feeling hasn't changed. Most of all, in everything I am going through or went through I am just so very grateful.

Thank you for challenging me on here and keeping my brain cells alive. Thank you for contradicting me and keeping my stubbornness alive. Thank you for laughing with me and keeping my humor alive. And thank you for crying with me and keeping my soul alive.
You are all so much part of my story in this last chapter of my life, and I couldn't ask for better company.
Before I came here I struggled a lot with feeling alone because I don't have many people here with me. Now I do not feel so alone any more. And that is worth so very very much.

That had to be said. Thank you.