To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.

~Thomas Campbell

Dear Kids,

The blogosphere is a little quieter now. . .

A sweet and witty dynamo of a woman has suddenly left us.
There’s a void in the blog world that will be difficult to fill.

Her name was Donna. She was a frequent commenter here and I will miss her terribly. How fortunate I was to have called her friend. You may remember her as “don_mae”.

She retired 6 years ago and began to write a blog. Her plan was to learn a new craft or creative technique each month and then publish posts highlighting her progress. She called it: This Year’s Dozen.

And what a wonderful ride the last 6 years have been for her readers! You see, Donna was an absolutely fearless crafter. She would tackle each new project systematically and never give up – even when it wasn’t going well. In that case, she would just start all over again and keep plugging until she had mastered it. Her patience was truly an inspiration.

I remember when she first tried to crochet. It was tough going in the beginning but she forged ahead. She practiced for weeks and by the time she was done, she was designing her own fashion accessories and creating brand new patterns! I’ve always had a feeling that somewhere out there is a dictionary with a picture of Donna next to my favorite word –
stick-to-it-iveness!

During the years she wrote her blog, she became proficient in jewelry-making, crocheting, quilting, and her first love, macramé – to name but a few. Her posts were full of eye candy photos that showcased her work. It was continually amazing to see just how many beautiful items she created. I used to tease her that I was exhausted just viewing everything she made.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and a very kind heart. She made scores of children’s pillowcases from colorful kid-themed fabrics and donated them to charity on a regular basis.

Donna could truly do it all. She was a crafter, a writer, and a photographer – generous with her knowledge and ideas. She loved to shop and had a 6th sense for a good bargain. She loved movies, fashion, and her Titanic collection! She liked to recycle and was incredibly clever at coming up with creative uses for things we often throw away. In short, she was a force of nature – I just can’t believe she is gone . . .

When I entered the blog world 5 years ago, I had no idea that someone I never actually met, whose voice I never heard, could etch such an imprint on my heart.

The Internet can certainly be a wonderful thing. It allows us to share a piece of ourselves with people we might not otherwise have had the chance to know, to learn from, or to love.

Goodnight, dear don_mae.
Gone too soon . . . but, oh, the lives you touched while here!

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Click the envelope to leave a comment or to read what the other kids are saying! 😀