RE: Dingbat

[balletkyle (imported)]

do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there. I do not sleep,

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn's rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush-

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet brids in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night-

do not stand at my grave and cry

I am not there. I did not die.

May good bless her family in this difficult time

[Christina (imported)]

It is hard to find the right words to say at a moment like this. Even though she had been a member here for a short time I felt a connection to her. Her posts were always refreshing, witty and intelligent and I enjoyed reading them very much. I feel an overwhelming sense of loss right now. I can only imagine the emptiness that others feel right now that knew her well.

My condolences and sympathy go out to all her family and friends. She will be surely missed.

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

Though I have been reading her posts for some time, I only really met Dingbat ten short days ago. It was after one of my posts that she sent me a private message and we began exchanging messages over a few days time.

Mostly we talked about her wacky parents and my mom. I asked her what she did for a living and she replied, "I'm a university professor of forensics and sociology." Her career sounded fascinating. I told her I had been a teacher and we suddenly had so much in common: education, career and wacky relatives.

Dingbat was so easy to talk to. I doubt if she had a seriously negative thought against anybody in the world. I wished I could have met her in person and her partner as well.

Considering the extent of her injuries, if she had survived it would not have been the same person we grew to like, respect and love. Her brain received so much trauma from the accident that she might never have regained consciousness or been able to talk or even live anything close to a decent life.

I think balletkyle's poem was a beautiful tribute to our Dingbat. And I think he's right in the way to remember her beyond her contributions to the Boards.

I say, let's think of her everytime we feel a breeze caress our face...when the wind blows a tree branch to and fro...

Dingbat was youth, courage, integrity and love. She enlightened and befriended us all. She had committment to live her life as she saw fit despite numerous social obstacles.

Dingbat was my friend,

I'll miss her greatly.

Assuming there is a Heavenly place, Dingbat will be happy there and would want us to be happy for her.

Let's remember her always...

We're the lucky ones because this unique individual touched us all.

[Paolo]

To compliment Balletkyle's post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaxusIUnw1M

Libera : Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep

[lilac (imported)]

I am so sorry to hear this Jesus. I know a lot of friends here on the EA. that never met her will grieve for her. Please send our warmest condolences to her family for us. Thankyou so much for your updates.

love and hugs, Lilac

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

I read the news hours ago. I had to turn away. I am devastated. I have experienced loss and horror in my life and this has brought it all back full force. In her messages I experienced warmth, humor and intellegence and my affection for her was growing daily. She was spirited away and now there is a cold empty space in my life. --FLO--

[balletkyle (imported)]

I read the news hours ago. I had to turn away. I am devastated. I have experienced loss and horror in my life and this has brought it all back full force. In her messages I experienced warmth, humor and intellegence and my affection for her was growing daily. She was spirited away and now there is a cold empty space in my life. --FLO--

Uncle Flo, I know full well how you feel, I lost my Big Brother four weeks ago!

This isn't easy

HUG

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

You have my sympathy for the loss of your brother. Thank you for the hug. A hug to you too. --FLO--

[Paolo]

Sudden unexpected losses are the worst.

No matter how many you experience, they never get any easier.

It's easy to lose track of them in the rush of day to day life, too.

Then another comes along and brings them all crashing back in.

There are no words for it. Not even the tired old chestnut, "I know how you feel." - Because I don't.

I only know how I feel, and it's not something I would wish upon my worst enemy.

[jemagirl (imported)]

I was so looking forward to meeting Dingbat in the real world later this summer. This all seems so unreal. Where does all that goodness go when it leaves the body behind? I reall don't know. It must be some where because Dingbat had so much good energy, and they say energy can not be destroyed. So I guess all that energy is in all the peole she touched. She gave every thing to the people around her. Still I am sad. I can not bare this gift. I miss my Dingbat. How sad her familly must be. My mind cannot comprehend how deeply they must be greiving for her.

Huggggggs to all who knew her and Hugggggs to all who loved her.

Jema

[Kangan (imported)]

Oh dear, oh dear. I had an intuition that it would end like this.

This is a terrible loss for our entire community.

I do hope that the b*****d who caused the wreck is charged with murder.

I do wonder about that death penalty murder trial in Massachusetts that Dingbat was involved in. Someone else might also die because of Dingbat's accidental death....

And who will look after her mother and father now....

[tugon (imported)]

She is at peace and free from pain. We who in this short time grew to love and admire her are now hurting. I am thankful we have her words and opinions to visit on the EA. Thank you Maia.

[truly committed (imported)]

my friend found out she was pregnant lastnite..what a strange place...

we can go or come at any time.

thankyou dingbat for the little i know about you, you seemed so special...

[Riverwind (imported)]

goodbye Maia,

Riverwind

[Eunuken (imported)]

While I've never exchanged emails or posts with Dingbat I will miss her posts.

I have found it better to Celebrate the life that a person lived, rather than morn the death.

In our family when a person passes on, we do cry and feel sorry, but we do know that our loved one is in a much better place and out of pain.

Do not cry for me that I am gone, Smile and remember the happy times we've had.

Ken

[thefraj (imported)]

Everything happens for a reason. Even though we may not understand it's purpose, or see the reasoning at the time - events happen and could not have happened any other way. We may wish to rewind time, and hope to alter the outcome. But it would not be the true outcome that was supposed to happen. It would be a different world and a false future that was tailored to suit us. Our feelings, our needs, our expectations.

I know this previous paragraph to be true, even when my senses witness events around me that test my faith in it. I must say that right now, it has never been tested so strongly.

Like so many Private Messages, Maias was one which had sat in my inbox, unread for almost a month before I replied. I could try saying that so much was going on and I never found the time. Or that - at that time - other things seemed more pressing.

Finally, I replied, and was lucky enough to recieve another PM from her... then, within 24 hours, this brief ray of sunshine would be snatched away forever.

I must admit I don't understand.

Why must this be?

It seems such a senseless loss of someone so valuable. I just don't understand.

And yet I feel selfish to have such feelings for someone I barely knew. Her intelligence shined through even in our brief contact, and her caring nature was there in every sentence.

I'm sorry to say goodbye, Maia.

[wolverine1 (imported)]

......

I never met dingbat and now, I never will... I have seen too many people's lives brought to a painful and untimely end as a nurse in incidents such as this... one person's life ended by some pathetic excuse for a human that exists only one level above pond scum !!

I only hope that this bastard suffers incessantly for what has been done to both dingbat and her family! As I hope all other drink drivers will :realpisse

What has happened is tantamount to murder, plain and simple!! I now only pray that the courts treat this as such and give dingbat the justice she deserves...

[Kangan (imported)]

Like so many Private Messages, Maias was one which had sat in my inbox, unread for almost a month before I replied. I could try saying that so much was going on and I never found the time. Or that - at that time - other things seemed more pressing.

Finally, I replied, and was lucky enough to recieve another PM from her... then, within 24 hours, this brief ray of sunshine would be snatched away forever.

I must admit I don't understand.

Why must this be?

It seems such a senseless loss of someone so valuable. I just don't understand.

And yet I feel selfish to have such feelings for someone I barely knew. Her intelligence shined through even in our brief contact, and her caring nature was there in every sentence.

I'm sorry to say goodbye, Maia.

I, too, had a similar experience with Maia via pm's. One moment she was alive and well -- and the next -- BAM! -- and she was gone forever.

"Life" can be very unforgiving. There is no "good" or "bad" in the Universe -- only random events. It is only our intellect that makes things "good" or "bad", but I must admit that knowing that does not ease my pain.

I just lost my mother less than one month ago. Maia's passing was even more tragic for me, since I was already grieving. I could relate to her situation with her parents and their dementia problems too.

All you can do is just move on and live each day as if it might be your last.

[Beau Geste (imported)]

I could tell from Dingbat's (Maia's) posts that she was a sensitive and intelligent person. I will miss reading them, more so because it was clear that she had had a difficult time being accepted as herself, and she seemed to have found a home on this archive.

Any time that something like this happens, I tend to remember things I thought of saying, and didn't, when I read the person's posts, or spoke with them. And now, of course, there is no way to communicate what I thought. I guess, in a way, death must be taken as a reminder of the importance of letting people know, at the time, what you think and feel. You may not get another chance.

[scottTx (imported)]

My faith is I am going to a better place from this transitority life...am promised a better place for an interinity. Across a bridge can see a beautiful pasture with animals playing....how many of my pets will come greet me when the time comes....we don't know...but what is more sure than leaving this earth....and more beautiful to be with God!

[Paolo]

Watch the movie "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams. Scott's post just reminded me of it.