Hello all. We have spoken of the effect our cyber friendships can have on our real time lives over the past, most recently with the too soon passing of our man of a thousand uplifting posts, Ridingtailboard.
This past week, another of my friends left this world suddenly and much too young. He was someone I had the privilege of sharing some remarkably creative and fun times on an open mic forum on myspace. Again, someone I have never met but have grown to know and be affected by all the same.
When I read the thread telling us of his passing last Saturday, I just did not believe it at first and thought it was a prank in rather bad taste. But it was not.�His partner had posted, knowing of his regular participation on a music forum. She said she thought we should know, and she was right.
I was driving home late last Monday night from a concert in another city, my family asleep when I began singing softly to pass the time, which I often�do when on the road. It was one of those black nights on the prairie highway when you get the feeling you might be the only person awake in the world at that moment. I was thinking about my friend, Dave, and how unbelievable it was that he was just gone so suddenly. It's a particularly helpless feeling when you realize that you don't actually 'know' someone...what can I do with this knowledge?�News of his passing saddened me deeply.
There was a light rain that night, the first we'd seen for many days. And rumbling thunder. Brilliant yellow jagged bolts of lightning lighting up the midnight sky. I kept singing these words that came to me, realizing that what was emerging was a song I wanted to remember. Anyway, I'm going on longer than I meant to here. I just wanted to share it with you all because I think you�would understand the sentiment, the need to do something good in these times when others hurt so much when someone dear to them leaves.
When we finally arrived home at about 2:30 a.m., I wrote out the lyrics as they'd emerged, then thought I might as well record the song so as not to lose the melody. Anyone who writes knows that these things slip away sometimes, never to be discovered again in their original form. I decided afterward that despite it's imperfections, I would�contact his partner and offer her the song as a gift, and a tribute to my cyber friend.
It was truly one of the best decisions I've made in a long while.
I want to share 'Dave's Song'�with you. Thanks.��
