Da Count #7

Today's Count is an easy one to pick. I asked at the top of my HNT this week for you to run over to Robyn's site first. Many of you rushed right over (14 of you by the time I checked in the morning!) to find her post telling us that her mom passed away Wednesday night. True, it was expected, and came at the end of a painful battle with cancer. But it's never an easy thing.

This is a picture of the two of them from earlier this month. Robyn and I have been emailing and chatting with each other for quite awhile. I've gotten to know her and her family over that time. She's been able to tell me things that she's been feeling about her mother that she can't share with her friends, for whatever reason. I have definitely come to realize what a great daughter, a great wife and a great mother she is. And when something like this happens, I tend to feel fairly helpless. It's one thing to say some words and offer support, but something altogether different to be able to actually give a hug, hold a hand or some other means of comfort.

So who gets "DaCount" today? All of YOU. You who bopped over to see what the big deal was, and you who left words of comfort. You who sent her an e-card. You who did whatever you could to ease her pain from afar. You who have no idea who Robyn or her family are. You who shared your own experiences of loss. Non-bloggers have no sense of what community exists here, and until they experience it themselves, they'll never understand. But those of us who do have all found friends and relationships that are as real and as genuine as any "real world" ones. And you came through with flying colors!

If you haven't been over to her site, I urge you to go there now. She's also been raising money for "Making Strides Against Cancer", which is one of the many American Cancer Society fundraisers. If you go here, you can find a link to her personal page (and get to see a half-nekkid picture, too!). Or you can go directly to her personal page here. I'm sure that if you were to make a donation, it would be a nice memorial! I'm sure we all know someone who's been affected by this nasty disease...

So "Da Count" for me today is YOU. Thanks for confirming my suspicions that you're all a pretty good bunch of people! If you want to read more about "Da Count", click on the button below...