
Sure, we'd seen each other's names pop up on her Facebook statuses and pictures and potentially interacted with a one liner or two over the years, but they were never really names and interactions that stuck, outside of being friends with the same person.
In the first few weeks of her absence, I found myself connecting with other women who were also missing her and questioning the why's and how's of this world. In our own need to grieve we expressed our feelings on her page and suddenly found others willing to support us and understand exactly what we were going through at that time. These weren't just passing comments. They were words of kindness and empathy amidst a time of anger, loss, and heartache. When one of us struggled with our emotions and wanted to rail against the powers that be, there were many, many others reaching out to get the person through that dark moment.

There are now a few more friends on my list after this experience, and I couldn't be more grateful for their presence if I tried. I am amazed and in awe of the friends she has who are all so interesting, diverse, and funny, but most importantly, strong.
One day, a new found friend approached me through a private message on Facebook with what at first I thought was a random picture of a knit baby cocoon. While it was cute, I had no idea why she had sent it to me and I actually remember thinking, "That's nice, but why?" A little bit after, a funny message about how Facebook is so lame with sending pictures before you can write something came along. And suddenly a reason revealed itself.
To those of you wondering if I am going to name this new friend, nope! I'll let her share her fantastic news when she is ready. But, something tells me our friend is watching down on us and smiling over the connections we are making with each other. While no one will ever be able to take her place, at least we are finding others who get that and are here for each other now.