The late Rachel Tsarev.
Rachel was for many years my very closest friend, but in October last year she died after a long battle with leukaemia. That same year before Rachel passed away she wrote a very meaningful article on how important friendship is. She later said 'how ephemeral friendship is, particularly online friendship'. Still, she and I kept in contact down the years until I got to meet her in Monaco on her ocean going yacht. Rachel was a writer, a published author writing under a pseudonym. Her followers became my friends and latterly, my special family. Here is Rachel's letter. Some of you here might even have known her elsewhere. Rachel's name on other forums was 'Gannet'
The Importance of Friendship by Rachel Tsarev
I have always insisted that friendship be two-way. By this I mean two friends writing to keep in touch by correspondence: Emails, private messages on forums, even from an internet cafe and ideally, by an instant messenger. The importance of writing is obvious; being friends means you want by the very fact of making friends in the first place, to write at least once a fortnight or better still, once a week sharing interests and genning up on what has been happening to you lately. And if you are fortunate in finding someone you immediately click with, so your friendship deepens.
I can not even begin to explain how grateful and fortunate I am to have the friends that I do. To be honest with you, I don’t have a great number, but the wonderful people that I do, I know are honest and loyal and above all - trustworthy. They are always there for me, no matter what is going on in my life or I what am going through.
So. . ..what makes a good friend? A good friend is honest, is fun, unique and interesting. They are someone who you can implicitly trust. A friend who you can talk to about anything. A friend who sticks by you in good times and difficult times, and when darkness is all around, a good friend is closeby, so you can cry and not feel ashamed for doing so.
RIP Rachel
Some of us only have a short time on our earth, but Rachel was to become that one more star in the night sky. So hold onto your friends wherever they may be, because you might not ever grab that chance again.
Poppi
Rachel was for many years my very closest friend, but in October last year she died after a long battle with leukaemia. That same year before Rachel passed away she wrote a very meaningful article on how important friendship is. She later said 'how ephemeral friendship is, particularly online friendship'. Still, she and I kept in contact down the years until I got to meet her in Monaco on her ocean going yacht. Rachel was a writer, a published author writing under a pseudonym. Her followers became my friends and latterly, my special family. Here is Rachel's letter. Some of you here might even have known her elsewhere. Rachel's name on other forums was 'Gannet'
The Importance of Friendship by Rachel Tsarev
I have always insisted that friendship be two-way. By this I mean two friends writing to keep in touch by correspondence: Emails, private messages on forums, even from an internet cafe and ideally, by an instant messenger. The importance of writing is obvious; being friends means you want by the very fact of making friends in the first place, to write at least once a fortnight or better still, once a week sharing interests and genning up on what has been happening to you lately. And if you are fortunate in finding someone you immediately click with, so your friendship deepens.
I can not even begin to explain how grateful and fortunate I am to have the friends that I do. To be honest with you, I don’t have a great number, but the wonderful people that I do, I know are honest and loyal and above all - trustworthy. They are always there for me, no matter what is going on in my life or I what am going through.
So. . ..what makes a good friend? A good friend is honest, is fun, unique and interesting. They are someone who you can implicitly trust. A friend who you can talk to about anything. A friend who sticks by you in good times and difficult times, and when darkness is all around, a good friend is closeby, so you can cry and not feel ashamed for doing so.
RIP Rachel
Some of us only have a short time on our earth, but Rachel was to become that one more star in the night sky. So hold onto your friends wherever they may be, because you might not ever grab that chance again.
Poppi
Sometimes the best memories people make, are new ones.