Facebook

A friend of mine joined facebook because his significant other is gravely ill with cancer. He uses his wall to keep friends and family informed. It is very sad. He moved her into a hospice last week and then married her in a bedside ceremony. They have been living together for about 30 years, but they decided to make it official.

At first, I thought that it was not a good idea to make things so public, but I think it saves him from having to repeat sad news to dozens of people, and so makes a hard time a little easier. I am painfully aware that I have no idea how to express something comforting. I am very afraid that I will do or say something wrong (even this post is probably a bad idea). He is mostly an internet acquaintance and I’ve only met him a few times face to face, but we have many good friends in common. I  met his wife once at a Blues concert.

So, Glenn and Brenda, I am thinking of you.

One Comment

  1. mentatjack wrote:

    I was chatting with my dad (a minister) the other day about the role technology plays in exactly this situation. He mentioned a number of online services set up specifically for keeping loved ones in the loop so that the same questions don't have to be answered a thousand times. I'm totally spacing on the links though.

    Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 12:52 am | Permalink