When a Fellow Blogger Dies, We Suffer a Great Loss and We Mourn

One of the bloggers I have enjoyed reading daily for years died yesterday. Her family wonderfully wrote her blog each day until they announced that she had passed away. I am grateful to them for doing so. Becky Dingle of Chapel of Hope Stories was a consummate blogger whose posts were filled with wisdom and joy, hope and celebration of life, and the stories of her grandchildren and family.

She and I never met in person, but we became friends through comments to each other. We had much in common: grandmothers, retired educators, storytellers, a love of flowers and gardens, and a love for Winnie the Pooh. I read her every day, even when I was sick and felt too tired to read all of the posts I received in my mailbox because her posts were filled with wonderful sayings that she had read in books, cards, or seen in her travels. She loved the Lowcountry’s history and heritage and shared it with pride.

She was always upbeat, finding something positive in everything, which was extraordinary for someone battling cancer. I was anxious with her through every full-body scan. Until the day that she could not write her blog, she smiled and wrote of God Winks, those strange, unexplainable happenings that remind us that God knows us and sees us. I envied her friendship with the Ya’s, four women who had been friends for over 40 years and vacationed together nearly yearly. My condolences to the Ya’s.!

Becky had lived fifteen years longer than her diagnosis of breast cancer, living to see five grandchildren born. I loved following their progress in her posts as they grew like weeds, and she celebrated every achievement. My condolences to her children and grandchildren!

Becky ended every post with, “Today is my favorite day! ” It was a saying of Winnie the Pooh. She is with her beloved Savior and Creator, with God Winks galore. We never met physically, but as bloggers, our spirits were one. That is what blogging does, as we dismiss differences in race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and national borders.

Take your rest, Becky. Thanks for the memories, sweet lady.