Sad days in the RVing world...

So much heartache in the wonderful RV community right now............ 

My heart goes out to Mr. George on the death of his son - I cannot imagine what he is going through and hope that he knows that he is in the prayers of many, many people.    He is trying to take care of his son's estate and deal with his grief, and I feel privileged that he is sharing his struggles with his readers through his blog.  I pray that he finds peace and solace in his life again. 

Another favorite blogger - Bob - has a brother who had a terrible motorcycle accident and faces a very long, difficult recovery.  Bob is trying to take care of things for his brother, plus visiting with him, handling all the details involved, advocating for him, and keeping everyone updated.   Sounds like a wonderful brother to me. 

Over at a site which I visit often, there has been upheaval about the site owner's decision to request donations... I read many forums and blogs, and quite a few of them have a donation button or request readers to click on ads or make purchases at a "store"...  Helping to offset costs of keeping up a site from which we benefit seems entirely reasonable to me. 

This forum/website is one of the best I've visited, with both the moderators and most of the members acting in a friendly, helpful, accepting way, perhaps disagreeing on certain subjects, but doing so with grace and dignity.  In the past few days, some of the contributions have been somewhat hostile, and I just hope that the basic dynamics of the site do not change, because I truly enjoy visiting there and have learned SO much from the owners and other members.  I am grateful to H & L for all the hard work they've done to maintain their site. 

WHY is it that so many people allow the relative anonymity of the Internet to obscure their judgement?   *Some* people would be hateful, spiteful, and mean no matter what, but I believe that most of the aggressive posts I've read at various times would NEVER  be stated in such a way if it were a face-to-face situation.    We would all do well to remember that although you don't see them, there are PEOPLE involved in these communications.   We do NOT have the right to correct their grammar or spelling, to insist that they do things as we would, nor to be vindictive when we do not agree with their point-of-view. 

The owners of these websites and blogs have a right to express themselves in any way they wish, post any pictures they wish, discuss whatever happens to interest them, and moderate comments posted on their sites.  If you don't like what someone has to say...  GO AWAY!!!  I've read blogs where I found something offensive and I just didn't go back - but I certainly didn't write to them and flame them for their choices, pretending to be the Internet Police.   I exercised MY choice to not revisit their sites! 

Life is precious and we should spend our time in positive pursuits.   Tell the people you love how you feel.  If someone has helped you in some way, say thank you.  Do what you can to help someone who needs it.   Let each person you meet along the way know that they matter because they are a human being.   My favorite quote is "Yesterday is History.  Tomorrow is a Mystery.  But Today is a Gift.  That is why it is called the Present."    Let's not waste it....