I have hesitiated and am still unsure but I throw caution to the wind.....

Here is my three cents. I missed the Ladybug incident and really do not know most of the women posting on this thread but I have been around for over 2 years and this forum got me through a period in life that has been absolutely devasting. It may turn out happy in the end and if I am sane it will be because of the women here. I am grateful every day for the soothing comfort and support I have received and most importantly, some one to talk with when I was the caregiver and had no one to vent to.

If you have ever been a caregiver you know what I am talking about. Thank you to all those women and you know who you are. You literally got my feet moving in the morning.

I left, backed out, whatever you want to call it, from the forums a few months ago. I felt slighted not by words hurled my way-I think I could take that. But by literally not feeling like I even existed. I felt like a ghost. I would post on a thread and the conversation would just keep right on going like I was not even there. I have fairly thick skin so this happened quite a few times. Then I started to pay attention to it and it happended almost every time!

Finally, I posted two new topics really looking for some day to day advice that was not rocket science but would be helpful. No action on one thread and 2 on the other.

Could be that no one had any advice to give-yes that could be the case but after the six weeks of being glossed over I became a bit skeptical and talked with Dotsie and explained my position. She respected it and we moved on.

Time passed and I realized I needed to give back to others what I had received. I did not like removing myself from the forum because I had received so much. I decided I would only post when I could offer some advice or let someone know I would keep them in my prayers.

So ladies, I came clean. You know where I have been and where, if you care. I just want you to know that it is not just nasty phrasing that turns people away, it is sometimes excluding people without thinking about it. I may have gotten caught in the "growth spurt" of the forum and if that is the case, so be it. I am a big girl and will continue to try to give back some of what I have received.

I hope healthy feedback is not offensive, it is not meant to be. DJ's post just motivated me to post. The culture does exist and is fascinating to watch. Don't fool yourselves in thinking it does not. Cultures exist everywhere and to see one unfold in cyberspace is pretty remarkable.

I will be around, hopefully lending a helping hand when I can.

Lynn