Sometimes you Need the Black to appreciate the rest of the view.

I realize now that when Cancer Part I was happening we were in our own little world.  I realize now that we spent very little time at the hospital.  We made a few friends but it was very much a solitary journey. 

Cancer Part II is not solitary.  Because it is so so intense, we have met lots of families, the internet has connected us with lots of families and it has put us in a very different place.  

I have been pondering my newly gained knowledge about Post BMT relapse.  I was not quite myself in class the other night and someone asked why.  I tried to explain without being DebbieDowner and they asked whether or not I "KNEW" Owen and his family. 

I made me think about the question.  How do we know people? What does it take to know someone? Is it enough to talk on the phone? Have coffee with them?  Is it enough to spend a vacation with them, a night in the hospital?  How does the internet connect us?

I think some shared experiences make the connection.  We "chat" with people all over the county and in my case world.  We "spend time" with people online.  I am always drinking coffee so maybe there is a connection.  

We learn and grow and expand our knowledge and human connections with the stroke of a keyboard.  Our world is so much more complex given the expansion of the internet.

It fills in the blanks of the canvas.  Sometimes the spaces filled in are black....  But the blackness is what makes the rest of the world come to life.