My virtual tribe

I’ve been chatting online with people in forums and other social network areas for more than 12 years now. The first forum I joined was a TTC (trying to conceive) group on WebMD. When we found out that we would be adopting instead of conceiving, I switched over to adoption forums. Through them I have forged friendships that have now spanned more than a decade. I’ve only had the chance to meet one of these friends in person, but that doesn’t change the depth and level of our relationships. We have supported each other through the adoptions and births of our children, deaths of our loved ones, school and parenting issues, celebrated our health and been there for each other through our illnesses. It has become a virtual tribe, with all of us spanning  the 4 corners of the globe.

This week I received a parcel from one of my virtual tribe members. Liam collects nutcrackers. At Christmas we have more than 20 that get displayed around the house, and he has a small army of them that live on his shelf year round. Even with all of the variations that he has, he has always wanted a metal one that could actually crack nuts . When he was much younger he actually broke a couple of the wooden ones, using them to try and crack his almonds open. So awhile ago I put out a plea to my online group of friends, asking that if anyone ever came across a metal nutcracker, to let me know.

Guess what was in the parcel?

I love my tribe!