In loving memory.

Rick’s death has devestated me.
My husband doesn’t understand. He asks me why I’m crying. “You didn’t know him.” He says.
Yes, I did. I had never met him in person, no. But I knew him from his funny, kind, thoughtful emails. The comments he’d leave on posts I’d write. He always made me laugh and made me feel like I mattered as a person.
People who don’t have online friendships don’t understand, people like my husband. They don’t get it. They don’t realise that you can form a bond with people you meet here, even if it is only words you type. Those words are coming from the heart of a real person.
And in Rick’s case, they came from a person who cared. A person who listened. A person who knew how to make you laugh when you didn’t feel much like laughing. A person who had a sense of humor unlike anyone I’ve ever “met.”
My new love.
I want to take a ride on his teflon coated slide.
If you are not reading Waistdog, you are missing out.
Go, read. You will laugh. You will be curious about his large penis. You will probably fall in love. Ok, maybe I took it too far, but I know you’ll laugh…

This is a post I wrote on August 18, 2003. I said if you weren’t reading him you were missing out and that’s how I felt. The first time I read the words he wrote I knew he was special. When I said “you’ll probably fall in love” I was kidding of course, but I think that I did fall in love with him. With his wit. His sense of humor. His perspective on life. And I honestly felt that if you weren’t reading what he had to say, you truly were missing out on something great.
Now I will miss him. More than I ever could have imagined I would.
Since I never said it to him while he was here, I’ll say it now.
I love you, Waisty. And for more reasons I can type through my tears. I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to get to know you more. The way Melly knew you. The way Wendy and Fran knew you. The way Jett knew you. But I knew you enough to understand that I was truly lucky to have had the pleasure of calling you friend, even if we never did meet face to face.
May you rest in peace and know that you will never be forgotten.

12 thoughts on “In loving memory.

  1. stacy

    I totally hear ya, girlfriend. I didn’t know him long, but it’s affecting me, big time. He was going to send me a monkey, and he posted about how happy it made him. I didn’t know him well, but it still hurts to see him go.
    RIP Waistdog. 🙁

  2. Jodie

    *general blogging world hug*
    And yes – I’ve had that conversation with my hubby too. Online relationships are real – with real affections, emotions, pain and enthusiasm. Just because we don’t meet each other in person does not mean our lives to not affect one another.

  3. mup

    I didn’t know of him at all until yesterday. Now I’m wishing I had. I’ve been flipping through his archives, and he seems like a very funny, insightful, intelligent fellow.
    You may not have “known” him, but those of us who are ‘bloggers’ know that there is life behind the type. We may not meet each other face-to-face, but lives our touched, and friends are made simply through words.

  4. Lisa

    I’m sorry this has hurt you so, Yvonne. I do know how relationships form over the internet and they can be as strong as any “real life” relationship. I did not know Waistdog, although I’ve seen posts and comments from him and almost feel as though we traveled in some of the same circles. He will be missed by many people, “in real life” and the imaginary world of the internet. I’m sorry for the loss of a person who has apparently touched so many.

  5. Robyn

    It is sometimes hard to see what life is all about until you realise that we really don’t live forever. Death gives meaning to life for all of us. Take this as a reminder to celebrate life and the wonderful things about Rick and the wonderful times in his life. Take the time to tell people how you feel, tell them they are special. A bond is a bond regardless of whether you have met the person face to face or simply shared words, these bonds are what makes life special. Remember that all these bonds that you all made with Rick are what made his life special. Grieving is natural, cry, then laugh, then smile, just don’t forget to remember all the happy time.

  6. Andreah

    I have never read Waistdogs blog. I didn’t know him either, and I wish I had. The way the bloggng community has come to support him and with all the wonderful things everyone has said here and on other blogs. I can tell he was a wonderful person and will be missed greatly. This just goes to show what a really close group everyone is in and that we’re lucky to have these in the computer friends.

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