I have a few unanswered emails in my Inbox which I really intended to answer weeks, months ago, but then as time slipped by I got too embarrassed or felt too much shame to answer. Among those who left messages are some of my very earliest and closest friends on Newsvine but also there are some who are fairly new. Some of these friends got married, some had babies, some moved to new locations, some may be gone forever and I am ashamed I didn't at least say "Goodbye". Maybe it is never too late to remember friends even if they don't know you are doing the remembering. So this story is dedicated to all my Newsvine friends and especially those who have come calling and I have not opened the door.

Things change in people's lives. It doesn't matter how old, how bold, how cold you are, you are subject to going through changes every day of your life. This past year I have gone through some tremendous changes but have remained pretty much the same guy while doing so. Some of my changes were brought on by time and some by circumstance. All of my recent changes have been beneficial even if they might not seem so to others. In order to let my friends know I am alive and well, healthy and wealthy, happy and content, I will now let them know about my past year.

One year ago I was in South Texas living for the Winter in my old motorhome. I went there every year for the coldest months of the year and a lady friend, of whom I will always have fond memories, was with me. At the time my health was steadily declining, my interest in writing and Newsvine was down, my expectations for the future were to sit back, clip coupons and expect my end to be just around the corner. I wasn't morbid but I did lack motivation, interest and the ability to continue concerted projects or maintain my personal friendships and was beginning to have serious differences with my companion that neither of us seemed to be able to understand or reconcile.

As the Winter holidays drifted away and we began the inexorable march toward Spring it became apparent that we were not a happy couple. It became apparent that neither of us was happy with our lives and that a solution might include separation and disbanding our household. We finally decided to return North early and to pursue a separate way of life. As luck would have it, it was during those final months in Texas that I ran into an old friend from the real world on Newsvine.

When I first saw her comments I noticed there was something familiar but I didn't quite know what it was. Later I began to realize it was a lady who had once been a reporter on my newspaper, the Coshocton Free Enterpriser. As time went by we became regular pen pals on Newsvine and through email. Eventually I got an email from my brother saying, "Isn't Anna from back here in Coshocton, and don't you know her?" Indeed, I knew Anna, or Anna-90776 on Newsvine.

Upon my return to Ohio in February I found myself needing some place to stay, a whole new life style, and someone to hold my hand and let me rest on their shoulder. Anna became that someone. Anna has become much more than that. She has shown me what it is like to be loved unconditionally and at the same time opened my heart and soul to being more aware of her and those around me in this world. Anna, has, indeed, become my life mate, my darling and the lady I expect to live with for the rest of my life.

Now, for those who might wonder; my health has improved considerably in the past year. My fortunes have improved substantially in many practical and real ways. I now am beginning to write again and have returned to many old hobbies and added a few. Would you believe the Old Fogey has become "little old wood carver, me"? I look forward to many more years of interaction with this old world and the people who inhabit it. In short, I feel "alive" again.

All of this does not mean I will suddenly become totally communicative again. It does mean I have become so busy at new and untried endeavors that I may not be as wordy or handy as I may have once been. This does not mean I will be seen daily on Newsvine but it does mean I will never forget the friends I have developed here and all those who have contributed so heavily to my success in life and on Newsvine in particular. Whatever the years ahead bring me, I hope Newsvine is around to share my life with.

I am so proud of this site and the people who make it what it is. From the Founders to the crowds who have become members through the corporate growth of joining MSNBC to all others who pass this way I say thank you. Thank you for being here. I am so glad we all passed this way.