The Kindness of Strangers

Shortly after DH & I found out it would take a medical miracle for us to conceive naturally, I joined an Internet support forum. It was random - one of the first ones I clicked on when doing some research about our respective infertility issues. That forum turned out to be one of the best things I ever did - it gave me scores of information that I otherwise would not have known, made friends I would keep, helped me raise my children, and reminded me of what a small world we live in. I am still a part of that forum, even though now I have graduated from the IVF side of it to the parenting side of it. The thing which never ceases to amaze me, though, is how much those forums have become a community. A community in every sense - one where neighbours trade recipes and parenting tips, share grief over losses and share joy over successes and newborns. On several occassions I have met a number of these people - people who gladly welcomed me and my children into their homes, even though we had never met in real life previously. Without fail all of them have been the sort of people I would be firm friends with in real life. We are talking about a large community - several hundred members - and yet they all still find time to be supportive of one another. Why is it that way? Primarily I think because they know, when it's their time for support, those people will give back what they got in spades. It just amazes me that this small little corner of the 'net has such an amazingly warm atmosphere - which is strange when you consider the 'atmosphere' I'm talking about is global, and made by people who have not met in real life (well, the majority have not.) This week one member went into unexpected labour (unprepared, DH out of town) - and called another member who she had only met a few days previous - for help. Not surprisingly that person came to her aid without delay. How amazing is that? That we can be standing right NEXT TO someone who needs help, and choose to do nothing ... but that we will go running for someone we know hardly at all, simply because we share the same community.

I guess it's true what they say - it's a small world after all!