EDIT: Some joker seems to think it's rather fun to keep resurrecting this now-very-old-and-no-longer-applicable thread. Never mind - the last three or four paragraphs are as applicable as ever! - love to y'all, Mary (updated March 10, 2003)

Well, I'm sorry to have to say it, but I'm going to be spending a LOT less time here in future....I will miss y'all.

Thing is, I am finally getting a life! or so it seems. Have been found by a very nice man (something my mother always told me I wanted: "What you want, darling, is for a nice man to find you" - as opposed to t'other way around, I s'pose! certainly I've had pretty bad luck trying to find one for myself, so nice to have it happen the way ol' Mum predicted was best!). He is taking up a lot of my time.

Then I'm swotting French for an exam for a govt. job - take the test Wednesday, don't know what the next step will be or even if they will invite me to take it - an interview, I imagine? so I should be studying right now! don't know for sure if there'll be a French component to this exam but fear the worst ("the worst" because I haven't used French since Grade 12, more years ago than I care to remember!).

And I'm leaving on mes vacances soon, aussi, so won't be parked in front of a screen then either....And then it will be the fall, when all kinds of other busynesses kick in.

But hey, maybe if I get that govt. job, I'll have time and opportunity to pop in here! that'd be sweet....

Meanwhile, I hope I will be popping in occasionally, but realistically I think I'll be disappearing for awhile. It makes me a bit sad....I was realising that meeting people on the Internet like this is very like travelling: You meet some wonderful people (and, let's face it, some you wouldn't even eat a bag lunch with!). You form new friendships; you stay in touch. Gradually some of these wonderful people drift out of your immediate life - you don't hear from them anywhere near as often, nor do they hear from you anywhere near as often. And you miss that wonderfulness in your life.

But....

You take comfort in knowing that such wonderful people are Out There in the world, being wonderful, and that other people are receiving the first-hand benefits of their wonderfulness.

I so love knowing that all of you are Out There - so much goodness spread around the globe! - and I hope to find y'all here and posting happily, whenever I can pop in.

Love to all
Mary

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.