Respectance.com

It seems some of us here at Picalily have reached the age where we are attending funerals for our friends’ parents more than friend’s weddings. It’s a sad transition personally, but a natural one.

It’s after the funeral service when the chit chat begins that we always end up talking about what we are doing these days. It is heartwarming to see how people are embracing the ideas of social networking, of creating online memories of their own lives, of telling their own stories. Some people have commented that we at Respectance are using tragedies for ’shameless self promotion’ but my feeling from those people that we actually speak with is that we are helping to set the direction for new traditions.

Many people who use the internet are looking for somewhere central to deposit memories, create online memorials, and to keep in touch with their friends and family around the globe. These people are the ones who see the huge potential for our sites, and these are the ones who are drawn to using them.

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I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital yesterday waiting for my Mother to come out of surgery, and I was flooded with memories of our last experience there just over a year ago when we almost lost my Dad.

It’s a horrible place in those waiting rooms - emotionally, physically charged. You can cut the air with a knife. There are rooms full of people holding books but not reading, people working at the big puzzle table, or playing cards, trying to direct their thoughts away from worry and fear. There is no idle chit chat, only the smell of old coffee.

For many I am sure it is a chance to reflect on life, and relationships with their friend or loved one. What might have been, what might come. What should have been said, is there still time to say it?

I am glad that my mom started to share memories on her Picalily account. It’s a good way for my kids to see who she is, and what she really thinks about. None of us knows how long we’ll be around to tell our own stories. We might as well tell them while we can.

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Today is a day to remember the brave soldiers who have fought for our country and are still fighting. Some of us may know someone who was killed or who suffered serious injury in battle; possibly a neighbor, friend, son, daughter, wife, husband or grandfather. Or you may be uncertain of a loved one’s current status out in Iraq.

The soldiers who have perished and the soldiers still fighting are to be appreciated for their courage and loyalty in protecting the country we live in. Several sites throughout the US are hosting events to commemorate these men and women. Please check your local listings for these events.

In addition, we at Respectance invite you to remember the lives of these men and women by creating tributes in their honor adding to the many tributes that have already been created.

http://respectance.com/Victor_M_Cota

http://respectance.com/Jessica_A_Ellis

http://respectance.com/John_K_Daggett

http://respectance.com/Matthew_W_Brown

http://respectance.com/CherieMorton

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For some people it’s a nice long weekend, a break from work. For others it’s Indy 500. For many though it is a time to reflect on their time in the Service, or to remember friends and family lost at war.

Members of the military, their friends, and their families form a large community in our members on Picalily and Respectance. They have created tributes to their service, their friends, and to comrades in arms. Many tributes to soldiers are simple with a few words from fellow service men and women left as memories. The online memorials are striking in the fact that all the lives lost are so young, and the eyes of many of the soldiers are so warm.

Each of the soldiers had someone who loved them, and who now misses them. On behalf of us all at Respectance and Picalily I thank the soldiers and their families for representing our country bravely, often under the worst possible circumstances.

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Life’s winding roads sometimes are inexplicable.

Last year, the wonderful Macedonian singer Tose Proeski left us far too early. Still many of his fans are in shock and have difficulty accepting this. There are also two really good things: there are so many people who still love Tose and he left us his musical heritage.

Tose had his international breakthrough in 2004 during the Eurovision Song Contest. He sang the marvellous song “Life” for his home country. Right now the preparations for this mighty popular festival are taking place. His fellows from Macedonia have organized a reception tonight in remembrance of Tose. The international music scene and lots of journalists have been invited to once again listen to his music and come together.

We from Respectance have asked our colleagues from 12points.tv to bring attention to the extraordinary tribute that his fans created on our community site. They have helped us enormously with this, thank you for that guys.

As an extra we might have an impression video of the reception. We know not all his fans can be present, but we hope to serve you by showing this registration of this event. Tose should be remembered, not only tonight, but forever.

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