Hello, Michele sent me to say Goodbye.

Dear Friends,

How to sum up in one post what this blog has meant to me? It was a distraction after the death of my dearest friend, it was a meditation during a serious illness; it was a public wink to a private flirtation, and it was personal brevity during moments of stress. It was, in short, exactly what I needed when I needed it  most. 

This blog, of course, is not  me, it never has been. It has always been simply a slice of who I am. The slice that I offered was often quirky, usually fun, rarely disheartened and always protective of my privacy. Is that who I am? Yes and no. Yes, it is  my hope  that I was able to share a virtual aspect of myself that is true to my reality. However, I am much more than what I have ever offered in these many posts, which of course is true for all bloggers. Yet, very few bloggers create and maintain a mystery of self to such the extent that I have during the past  several years. This  mystery was partly by choice but  mostly by necessity. There has been many times that I have felt it unfair for  me to not contribute to the countless conversations that I prompted on these pages. If anyone has ever, even for a brief moment, felt slighted or thought I was being rude by my unwillingness to join in or respond: I apologise. Please know  that it was  never my attempt to be anything but welcoming on my blog.

It has been the me behind this blog  that has taken generously from the many individuals who were kind enough to become regular visitors here. To say that this blog has received lots of visitors over the years is, of course, stating the obvious. What is also obvious, to anyone who spends time reading the comments left here, is that these many visitors have offered wit, wisdom, kindness, insight, and a readiness to simply join in on the silliness that I continued to offer. To each and  every person who opened up a comment box and  left a few or many words on these pages - I thank you. I thank you so very much.

This blog has introduced me to someone who made me swoon, someone who became a deeply cherished friend and someone who stands behind me and allows me to see through a window to a view of wonder that I had no idea even existed. Was that cryptic enough for you? If yes, then please allow me  to be less so by admitting that there are also a small handful of regular visitors that I truly feel connected to; of course, I am not certain that they also feel this connection, but I certainly hope they do. And I hope they will allow me to begin or to continue exchanging notes. There are some people who I now call blog-friends  that I would love to develop or continue a friendship with. Yes, I will be in touch. Please, know that any person who also feels this unspoken connection of friendship is welcome to write to me. Yes, I will now finally have the time to respond.

As you have no doubt gathered by now, and yes, the title was a less than subtle hint, this  is my goodbye post. Why now? Well, because I am now  ready to say goodbye to my blog, without saying  goodbye to blogging. My hope  is  to now  have the time to become a visitor at some of my favourite blogs. It is also my hope  to post a link on this site offering you a new place to go and play the meet n' greet. It is also possible that I might one day wish to open a new blog - not a copy of this  one, but one that offers a different slice of  me.

Someone very special to me suggested,  when we discussed that I was planning on writing my goodbye post, to go out silently and not allow comments. I considered doing this. I decided against it. I care too much about the community of blog-friends that gather here on a regular or somewhat-regular basis. So, the comments are open - yes, you may have the last word. Maybe. It is, of course, possible that I will write back or add you to my list of those to notify if I ever do begin blogging again - please consider yourself  warned.

Thank-you for making Michele the blog everything it was. Thank-you for sharing a bit of yourself with me and for continually allowing me to share a bit of myself with you. Many of  you already know that my real name is not Michele Agnew, but, what many of you do not know is that I will always carry Michele Agnew in my heart because "she" allowed me to get  to know many of you.

With all my heart, thank-you and goodbye.

With Love. xoxo