IVL

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

I heart the Interweb

Let me tell you a story about how the Internet has A) changed my life a few years ago and B) brightened my day yesterday.

I never knew my biological father growing up. He and my mother parted ways before I was born and that's really all I ever knew. My mother married a wonderful guy when I was seven and I grew up calling him Dad and all was well with the world.

Until he passed away quite suddenlyin 1992. Gosh it's hard to believe it's been 13 years.... but I digress. I often wondered about my biological father throughout my life but since I had such a brilliant stepdad it was never really more than a passing thought. Then in 2001 I was poking around the 'Net and I decided - on a whim - to see if my biological father was online in any way shape or form. To my great surprise, he was. One quick search turned up his email address.

So I sent him an email. And he wrote me back. And from then on it's been fantastic getting to know him and meeting his daughter who's my half-sister. We keep in touch via email and instant messenger and have been able to meet up when he comes to GI (He lives in Montana.) Through him, I've met new family in Lincoln whom I just adore and who have welcomed my daughter and me into their lives as if we'd been there all along. That whim of mine to search his name on the internet was one of the best things I've ever done. I don't know that I'd have these wonderful people in my life now if not for the web.

The other cool thing that happened because of the awesomeness that is Google, is yesterday I hooked up with an old friend I have not talked to for almost 8 years. We met when I lived in England and worked in a pub just outside London. He was doing work exchange the same as me as the bartender there and we just hit it off and became such good friends until his visa ran out and went back home to Minneapolis. We emailed for a while but eventually lost track as you do.

Until yesterday when I ran his name through Google, on yet another whim, and I found him! So now we've reconnected and I can't wait to catch up with him and see if he ever found Mr. Right and all that good stuff.

So today I just felt like pointing out that the Internet is more than just cool websites, special interest stuff, spam and jokes - it can also change your life.

Written by atomicweightofcheese @ 5:46 PM ||

I *heart* the Interweb

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I heart the Interweb