Day by Lovely Day: Real Friends

People like to make fun of "Facebook Friends" or "Internet Friends" as though there is something wrong with those friendships. For me, it has been a way to acquire new friends that want nothing from you except your friendship in return. Over the years, I have been able to meet up with friends I met at Weight Watchers Online. I have traveled to New England twice to spend time with my Irresistible buddies. Several have come to town and we have spent time together.

I have also been a member of another group for years -- they are the GRITS group. Most in this group are Southerners and have been Southerners most of their lives. Just as I relate to my Irresistibles because we started as a group all born in 1946, I relate to the GRITS group because of common ground found in being raised by Southerner parents and growing up in various parts of the South.

One of my favorite GRITS is Nancy. She is the only GRITS I have met personally. Butch and I traveled to Jacksonville almost two years ago and visited her while we were over that way to meet a new great-grandson. It was love at first sight. And though we had only known each other through phone calls, emails and message boards, it was as though we had known each other all my life (Nancy is a little older than I.)

So it was with delight that I was able to spend part of a day with her and her daughter, Nora, when they came to visit the area last Sunday and Monday. They were able to see the Chihuly Gallery in St. Petersburg on Sunday and I met up with them on Monday morning here in Tarpon Springs. Beau and I were outside walking when they drove up. He was very excited to meet someone new. (you all may remember that we met Beau's first foster mom last year after years of email and online contact) and it was exciting for me, too.

After a tour of Howard Park including the causeway and beach, Sunset Beach Park, and a ride by my beloved library, we headed down to the docks for lunch. We had lunch at Hellas. Nancy and I shared our Greek salad and Saganaki (Flaming Cheese) with Nora; and, she shared her Greek hamburger with us. Everything was delicious. As we finished, Nancy fished her iPad out of her purse and handed it to Nora to take a picture of us to post for our other friends on WW and FB.

Long gone are the days when we viewed everyone on the internet as potential ax murderers. We still need to be careful, of course, but I wouldn't have missed these relationships for the world.