I forgot to say until just a few people were on at the very end, that I talked to Katie Bee yesterday & she sends her love to JZ & to everyone. Her sister Jenny died two weeks ago yesterday from complications with brain cancer & she didn't think she'd make it today.

Hey, friends. I only just heard.

David and Jacqueline, I am so very very sorry to hear your news. Jacqueline is one of the kindest people I remember from Buffistas; those are the things that spring to mind for me, her kindness and her wicked humor.

To give you some idea, I came down to get a hug my husband, who was never a Buffista but lurked. When I told him it was Jacqueline, he said "Oh, no!" He remembered her as one of the good ones, even though she was never a part of his online life.

I'll be holding you all in the Light, and I'm so very sorry.

I just went to Better World Books and ordered a copy of The Counterpane Fairy that JZ recommended. With that order, it makes 100 books I've donated through them. Which feels like a fitting tribute to her as well.

I'm so glad so many of you could make it today -- I'm sorry I was in a car with too many relatives at that time. I am sure JZ knows how much love she is surrounded by.

That's beautiful Askye. Wonderful remembrances a around. It was wonderful to see so many people from the community.

Epic, that’s a lovely gesture.

askye, it's such a beautiful, poignant quote. Thank you for sharing it.

Epic, it's such a lovely gesture.

I didn't get to really talk on the Zoom, but it was for the better, because I couldn't really talk - I kept finding myself choking and tearing up and unable to complete sentences. I was thankful I had to stay until the very end to coordinate stuff with Bonny, because I got to say goodbye to a few, and to chat a bit with her and with Shir.

Oh, and Betsy! It's so heartbreaking that it's in such circumstances, but I'm so grateful to see and read y'all.

Oh, Betsy, I have missed you. Wish I were seeing your in better circumstances. I think the last time I saw you in the flesh was at their wedding.

I love that, Epic!

Thank you so much beekaytee for hosting. It was good to have your counselor experience in hand to make everything run smoothly and help us deal with our emotions. That was probably very difficult.

I cannot say enough what an honor it was to hold space for this wonderful amalgam of personalities, feelings, and intelligences. We really are _something_.

I did choke up there a bit at the end, and knew that I could not say what I really wanted to without losing that hard-fought composure.

I've asked David to say this to JZ and will memorialize it here:

You know how people talk about the difference between a house and a home?

JZ _made_ me a Buffista. I stumbled on the Board in search of reasonably sane people to talk about Firefly.

What I found was a beautiful, clean interface with a lot of delightfully brilliant people.

And then, there were the mean girls. I had never reached out for anything like this in my life, so the smackdown was very effective.

But, when I could bring myself to lurk again, I heard her voice...without hearing it, and it felt like what home should be. And she welcomed me back first, and with so much warmth, she confirmed that sensation. I will never forget that.

Sure, I am sporadic with my posting (so much more alert on FB) but I always come home.

JZ is my home here and it will always be thus. --- And, while I'm about it, I want to double, triple, one-millionth, thank the tech folks who keep the lights on for me to come home to. I could never do what you do, and I am so, so grateful.

Don’t apologize for loving so hard that having to say goodbye makes it overflow, you wonderful humans you. Don’t apologize for being real, and open, and honest in our love and grief.

This. A thousand times this. I'm so glad we were able to be together.