I don't remember 'meeting' Karen online. But I do know our friendship grew within the comment section of righthickssave. We bantered back and forth playfully until somewhere along the way we took it to e-mail. One night via e-mail, I invited her to my chat room. Turns out we had a lot of the same online friends. We may have even shared a few laughs in graycharles' chat room, but neither one of us could ever remember for sure.
I let her know early on that I have no interest in fan gossip or fan wars and she respected that. She never brought any of that up with me. I still don't know why she didn't get along with everyone within the fanbase and please- don't tell me. I don't care. None of it has anything to do with me.
I guess she helped run a fansite? I never went there, either. So right about now you're thinking this is the most lame tribute you've ever read. It sounds as though I barely knew her.
But here's the thing. Here's the reason her absence hurts me so deeply. Our friendship wasn't wrapped up in trading gossip or commenting at length about a Taylor Hicks photo. (Please don't take offense, I'm trying to make a point.)
It was about US. Our lives, our families, our hopes and dreams. She listened to me. She supported me. And when the serious stuff was purged, she made me laugh. We laughed our ASSES off.
I was supposed to meet her face-to-face for the first time last Sunday. But my life intervened and I couldn't go. I told myself there would be plenty of time this summer to get in on one of her frau-fests. And now suddenly, unexpectedly, painfully, time is up. So instead of getting together in Pennsylvania on Sunday, I found myself driving through her state on Monday, on the very day she breathed her last.
I'm forever making lemonade out of lemons, but I gotta tell you, this is a tough one. I'd like to take those lemons and hurl them, one by one, at God. Karen would probably tell me it's OK to be sad, but somehow she'd find a way to take me away from my sorrow even if only for a little while.
She made every day a little brighter and I'll miss her more than she realized.
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Caryl, Karen was a very special lady, she touched so many people with her kind heart and her quick wit. We were gonna try to get together for lunch in the near future, but both of us were experiencing health issues. She always had a kind encouraging word for all, you knew she really cared. Its not gonna be the same without her, she will be missed by many, but knowing Karen she already got her wings and has them in stiches in heaven.
ReplyDeleteJI
That was a nice tribute JI. I remember her posts also at righthicksave. I really miss that site. God bless Karen and her family and friends. And God bless you for your words. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThat was really nice, jersey.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, TF06.
Karen touched a lot of people. She'll be missed.
I tried to comment on this yesterday, couldn't figure it out. trying again tonight. I feel the loss also. We are all(Taylors fans) connected by the heart through following Taylor and his music. Its sad when even 1 of his fans is lost along the way. I think we all feel it even though we are all spread out in different sites on the web we are still together and have this connection. Beautiful tribute Caryl....love to all the fans Helene
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a beautiful tribute, Caryl. I suspect Karen would be surprised by the number of people who will miss her voice in this world.
ReplyDeleteCaryl....that was such a lovely tribute to a wonderful lady. It was my honour to spend time with Karen on a few occasions and I will miss her so much. It is strange how you could meet someone and so immediately feel the connection,but Karen had that gift...she was a gift. We don't even live in the same country but the connection never waivered when opportunity to meet up again would present itself. The Taylor Hicks getaways will never be the same without her. At the next one I hope we take some time to celebrate her life and the blessing she brought to ours.
ReplyDeleteI just found out about Karen's passing this morning. I've been wrapped up in RL - not on-line much the past few months.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed meeting Karen on twitter, my first discussions with her. She was witty, sweet, open-minded and always good for a laugh. I admired her dedication to her family and the love she openly shared.
It's sad, tragic and untimely for Karen, for her children, for her grandchildren. She will be so very missed.
Supposedly there's a time and a reason for such things but it's hard to find solace in that thought when the time comes to those we admire, know and love.
I did not know her well, read her FB and twitter, but what I did know of her, she was good people and there are so few real, good folks out there.
I am sad today for her loved ones.
Sunny
Caryl, this is a very nice tribute, because anyone who didn't know Karen can see her through your eyes. I'm thankful for all the times she and I shared, whether it was confiding in each other about serious issues or just joking around.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am trying to cope with the news and somehow try to understand it. I am happy you two met on my blog and that it started a friendship. I'm also glad that so many people got to see her hilarious and creative comments, not only on my blog, but elsewhere around the internet.
I definitely understand your anger, yet at the same time, I feel a sense of gladness about how many lives she touched. I hope she knew how much she meant to us.