When I heard the news of Lizelle’s passing this morning and it was as if someone knocked the wind out of me. A gut punch, for sure. I hadn’t planned on doing a post on Hive today but felt compelled to express my feelings about this amazing and wonderful woman. I knew a little bit about the health challenges she was going through but had no idea her condition had gotten so serious. I had always assumed this was something she would eventually recover from.
I can’t remember exactly when I first met Lizelle but I believe it was very early days, 2017 or 2018? Thankfully she made the migration from Steemit to Hive during the fork. She was one of the kindest, most positive, selfless, and supportive people on the platform. She was always the first to comment on and enthusiastically support my Hive initiatives like—Pay It Forward for the Holidays and The Blockchain Memory Project. When she started the Silver Bloggers community I felt it was time to repay the favor.
Even though I’ve been on Hive for over a decade and try to attend face-to-face meetups when I could, I’ve never been good at connecting with other users on Discord or other message boards. I really wish I would have done more of this in Lizelle’s case. She has a nephew who’s an airline pilot and he happened to live just miles away from me. She always said when she came to visit we’d meet for a meal and I’m sorry we never got to do that.
@Lizelle and I connected in other ways, mostly through each others post comments and occasional emails. In many ways she became almost like a surrogate mother to me. She offered me so much support when my Dad passed away in 2020 and when I was going through my sourdough bread making phase during the pandemic years. She was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of my writing. As an indie author struggling to be heard, I was always so very appreciative of that. I’d send her copies of my books in the mail over the vast Atlantic ocean, although it took many months for them to arrive and they were often in a very sad state when they eventually got there.
“When twilight drops her curtain down And pins it with a star Remember that you have a friend Though she may wander far.” ― L.M. Montgomery
In many ways our friendship is an example of how powerful a platform like Hive can be. Above all Hive is a connector of people. People, who’ve never met face-to-face, having the ability to develop such a deep and lasting friendship having the chance to connect like this is a true blessing. Virtual friends can be true friends. These connections on Hive aren’t mired by algorithms or ads. This isn’t meant to be a plug for the platform, it's the God's honest truth.
It’s times like these that make us question so many things—if we could have done more, made more of an effort to reach out, to see if our friends need anything. I hope Lizelle realized how much she meant to me and so many others here. I like to think she did.
I just couldn’t let this day go by without posting a little something about such a good friend of mine. I find it so fitting that Lizelle’s last name was Bright. Her kindness and optimism were like warm sunshine to so many of us during our darkest days.
You will be greatly missed, my friend. I’m sorry we never had a chance to share that meal, that I never got to give you a ride in my Tesla. We promise we will keep the torch burning for you. I’ll remember you every time I bake bread or try a new recipe, every time I pay it forward during the holidays, I catalogue a memory on the blockchain, or use the Silver Bloggers tag on a post.
I send my prayers and condolences to Lizelle’s friends and family. May her memory live on in all of us through our decision to choose positivity over pessimism and kindness over hatred. Rest well, Lizelle. Much love to you.
All for now.