I’m hosting a series this week and the first part of next on community found through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, etc.). I’m super excited about each lady that is posting here this week. They are remarkable in their own beautiful way. One I’ve met and the other five I can’t wait to. I believe that God has allowed social media to serve as a place where community is fostered. Please welcome these ladies as they share their experiences and feel free to share your thoughts each day. – Prudy
Tammy is someone I find quirky, and someone I think of as more my age than her nearly 4-0 (5 yrs of difference so I guess we’re kind of the same age). I have a great deal of respect for this lovely lady. Tam’s blog. Tam’s Twitter.
I live in a small town. A very small town. It seems everyone knows everyone here. If you were born here…you die here. If you weren’t born here, you came here to retire…then die. 
The living is simple, relaxed, slow-going. It’s a conservative community with pockets of liberalism that typically is not received well.
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That’s just life here. I’ve grown accustomed to it, but have never embraced it. I grew up in Southern California where there is a myriad of lifestyles to behold. Thousands of differing opinions in a group of 3 people. Risk takers at every turn. And I have missed that for many years.
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In 2007 I started a blog. It didn’t take much time for me to meet people. A handful of bloggers kept returning to my little piece of the web and, honestly, I thought they were crazy. Why on earth would they want to talk to me? After some time it occurred to me… We all see something new, something different in one another, something we want to learn more about.
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I started craving the differences. Appreciating them. Digging into them. Learning from them. Suddenly, all I have been missing for so many years was at my fingertips. One of my first friends was an Atheist I met arguing with on an Atheists Blog. Seriously, I must have been slipped some brave pills in my orange juice. He and I are friends to this day.
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Perhaps it was because I let my guard down. Perhaps it’s because we all do here. Sure, there are some who are all a facade. And those ones are spotted rather easily. But you know when you meet a genuine friend on the net. There’s a connect. An instant bond. It’s unexplainable really. They become an extension of your family.
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We have had nearly 30 different people come through our home whom we’ve met online. Some say that is crazy. We say it is perfectly normal.
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Each and everyone we’ve met “IRL” or online have added something special to our family. They have encouraged us, challenged us, surprised us, gifted us, embraced us, loved each of us for who we are. Not all of us have the same view of God, the Church, politics, outreach, social justice and so on…and that’s okay. We sharpen each other. We’re not carbon copies. We stretch one another…learning to appreciate and embrace differences while valuing the impact we can make in this world. A very big world the internet has brought together, made to be within our reach, in ways I never thought possible.
love this series, and love TamTam’s heart here
so beautifully stated!
love that you call me tamtam!
I called you Tim Tam in my head the other day. Don’t worry, I mentally slapped myself.
Tam it was a privilege to meet you guys! We are new to this whole world but are really loving the online community that we have started to be a part of! A few years ago, I probably would have had my major doubts about the whole thing, but we have seen and experienced real community and new friends through this world wide web and love it!
brook, me too. several years ago i made fun of blogging and net-friends. i thought it was silly and a waste of time.
wow, is my face red.
really hope to hang with you and your bride again some day real soon!
Tam as always I love your heart and your perspective. Thanks for sharing so eloquently on the beauty of online community. I’ve met so many wonderful people on line and my life is far richer for those relationships!
thanks, friend…
ive listened to people who are not fans of online relationships totally discredit the worth, value and authenticity of online friendships.
but im here to say…theyre real! it happens. every single day.
my life, as well, is richer because of it!
You’re so right about that instant connection when you know someone is real. My best friend (non-wife division) is someone whom I met online playing fantasy baseball. We just clicked. We were the best man in each other’s weddings.
Great post, Tam.
I like that best friend – non-wife division.
“non-wife division”
thats great!
Tam, you’ve managed to say everything in my heart about the topic in about a QUARTER of what it would take me.
Trying to explain also, the way you can MISS someone you’ve never met, to someone who doesn’t ‘get’ it, is SO hard. Sometimes, my heart physically ACHES, I miss my friends so. Someone I’ve never been in the presence of, I miss being there.
yes! i SO know what youre talking about. the first time i told a ‘net friend’ i missed them, i walked away thinking…”thats just weird. but true.”
im so GLAD to have met tam and her family, even for a short time this summer. the 20 minutes i spend with them made me feel like i was part of their lives already.
we loved you girl! cant wait to visit longer some day =)
I’m loving this series, Prudy! And it’s so fun to see bloggers I already follow posting here. It’s like a little community that I have no idea who knows who.
Tammy, I loved what you said about putting our guard down. It’s so true. When I see others being genuine online it prompts me to as well.
you’re alright
seriously though… i’m so thankful that you’re OUR family. i’m thankful for you!
It has been close to a year since I first saw Brent on twitter. Via MPT. Then, Jenni, then you, or something like that!
We’ve never met, but I am looking forward to a day when we do! When we share our hearts, we are being somewhat intimate with each other. We share our good times and bad. We share a new kind of comfort. By just typing words of encouragement & love. Compassion. Empathy. Grace. Sometimes in 140 characters or less!
I have learned so much from you. You have a gentle spirit. You are nurturing. Even to this older lady! That’s why I think it is so awesome that you are home-schooling the kids (I mean, teens).
In my active addiction, I had no friends. Didn’t care if I had friends. Didn’t care that I was isolating. From my family. From my life. From God. Finding the healing hand of God again has given me a renewed spirit. One who wants to share my experience, strength, and hope with anyone who will listen. I feel such a need to share in my 12-step meetings! It’s all about passing on what I am finding in recovery! I usually can’t hold back. I want everyone to “get it”. I speak with a passion I haven’t had in 30 years. Because behind it all is a mighty God.
God brought you (and your friends & family) into my life to remind me that our God is a God of 2nd chances. With Him I can do ALL things. But, I can’t do it alone! I no longer want to isolate (well, maybe once in a while). I want to shout it out! Thanks for being a good internet community friend. One of these days we will meet and you will take me to these wonderful restaurants you speak of so often (just not sushi).