Wednesday Wonders: LS

It’s Thursday, so it must be time for Wednesday Wonders. Who has caused me wonder this week, you wonder? Why, this week it isn’t a person, but a group of people. I’ll call that group “LS,” because that is what we call it, too. It’s an email list of women who met because they were all leaders of groups in the same world-wide nonprofit organization. We shared a love of our children, a particular philosophy, and the organization. While some of us have waned in enthusiasm for the organization, our bonds to each other have remained strong.

Why do the members of this group cause wonder in me? They are one of the finest examples of the good that the Internet can do: when one member is down, others sympathize. If there’s a crisis, a member or members will physically GO to help, or call the member in need, or gather resources needed to get them whatever they need. It happens over and over. There are so many ups and downs. Some of us don’t have much money. Others have sicknesses. There are very challenging children to deal with. There are spousal issues, and much more. These women talk about whatever matters to them, even politics and religion, and while there are disagreements, a large core of women have stayed together and worked through them. Humor has always been a big help, and we have shared many laughs along the way. This is a great audience for whatever funny thing your child has done!

I am amazed at the kindness, patience and understanding these women exhibit toward each other. After over a decade together, many of them are like sisters, visiting each other on vacation and looking forward to organizational meetings to get together. If someone’s child is traveling, she knows where there are surrogate mothers waiting to lend a hand or space to crash. It’s wonderful to see how the bonds have grown. I am not putting in any riveting specific details, to maintain the privacy of my fellow LS members, so just imagine tragedies and comedies that your friends go through, and you’ll get the idea.

These days, lots of women (and men) feel isolated. Neighbors aren’t the friendly faces they used to be in the past, and we are often so busy there’s no time to visit even neighbors we like. Some people meet like-minded souls at church or their kids’ schools, but some don’t have that option. People who are a little “different” often find coworkers don’t have much in common with them, so that’s not a way to meet people. Mothers at home have even fewer options if they aren’t totally mainstream. Thank goodness the Internet Is here to help us find people with whom we share a common bond!

I feel very lucky to know the ladies on LS, even though I may not exactly be Miss Popularity there (my old job did not always win me friends). I like just watching them interact and seeing how they treat each other, and I appreciate how people with whom I've had disagreements in the past have been patient with me (and vice versa) and become real friends. I have a couple of other email lists (a spiritual one and a knitting one) with members I am very close to, as well. These communities make me feel lucky to be connected. Internet connections mean more to me than I can say. I guess it’s one reason I blog and read my friends’ blogs, just to keep connected with people I care about or am interested in. Thanks to all of you who read, and especially to those of you who comment. And thanks to ALL of you who I met on the Internet!