Recently a longtime site member deleted their account. They had been active since I joined. It got me thinking about all the wonderful people who used to have a big presence on this site, but are either gone, visit much less frequently, are found on parts of the site I don't usually visit, or have taken to lurking without posting.
I'm listing some of them here. Who else do we miss?
I miss Padma, Justmeinoz, and Constance, former site staff. Every now and then they'll come back and post, and I'll remember how much I appreciated their feedback. I also miss Annah, who was a strong presence, but who seemed to vanish shortly after she joined the staff. I also miss Ms. O'Brien whose warmth and kindness shone through and made us all feel lived.
I miss Jamie D. True, I often disagreed with his points of view, and true he was known to inject unexpected levity at surprising times. But I think his willingness to take some of our issues lightly really helped keep the discussion from deteriorating as often into a flame-out of hurt feelings.
I miss Beth Andrea, and her unabashed happiness at her blossoming femininity. I miss Madeline B's considered posts, though I do have the privilege of communicating with her personally from time to time. I miss MeghanAndrews' positive attitudes and example of a girl with big dreams and equally big determination.
I miss Axelle, who was very generous with details of her transition, and willingness to be forthcoming about her past. I miss Drilquip, who allowed me to become part of their search for identity, though I'm not sure I didn't make things worse. I miss some of the younger members who joined our site briefly but left a large impression: DianaP, who always came across much wiser than her teenage years would lead us to expect, and Adam, who, after facial surgery and some hrt, decided transitioning was not for him, but stayed for several months because of the connections he'd made.
I miss Learned Hand, whose news articles always made me think. I miss Aleon515, who was such a big part of my early discovery but now has a much lower profile here as he enjoys his fabulous life as a retired guy. l miss MaidOfOrleans and Alainaluvsu, who let us in on some of the trials they faced. I miss Keiara and Caleb whose open and unabashed admiration of each other caused hope to spark in the coldest heart.
And, of course, I miss Nero. He was always there with feedback or helpful thoughts. He wasn't afraid to let us know who he was. I've put more of my feelings about him elsewhere.
Susan's Place continues to be a wonderful support and source of information. There is no shortage of wonderful souls who come to our community. But I still feel some wistful sadness about the people who are no longer as big a part.
