I lost my window period and never got to circle back to a previous thread but I still wanted to take the time to express my thoughts and feelings for Reg’s and David’s health and how I am wishing the best for both of you.  In reflecting on both of your personal shares it got me thinking back on my own reflections and the nostalgia of DBIS from infancy to present.   I faded away from the site for a couple years and never got a chance to jump right in when Dan sent out the 25^th year anniversary reach out email so my apologies if this has already been thoroughly discussed.  But when I did come back I was struck by what a warm rush I felt of the legion of old friends in my mind.  Doing the math, I realized I have been here since the very beginning when the website looked like something Dan hurriedly cranked out on a Commodore 64.  It has been quite the evolution ever since.  I remember the first time David’s mom hopped in to give updates on his status followed by David peeking his head in shortly thereafter.  I remember feeling the “geek out” thrill as we were able to slowly tease him into participating more and more, culminating with what many of us felt like an emotional shareholder stake in the release of A Fine Mess.  We’ve seen stormy forum breakups, heartbreaking reveals, and lively characters popping in and out.  The list could go on and on including what I’m sure were the many vicissitudes of David’s mind thinking “what the hell did I just get myself into?”.  

Harking back to those times I was in my late twenties at the outset and I still remember this site opening a whole new world for me and representing the best the internet could be.  It was a chance to engage with others around a common purpose and interest on a level that is now largely taken for granted.  I’ve always been an introvert, both here and in general, and thus will likely always be relegated to long-time-listener, infrequent caller status.  But over the many permutations and drifting in and out I felt compelled to share what a large impact this board has had on my life; a chance to engage with a set of comadres and compadres built around a common theme to share about life, love, politics, etc. 

One of my counseling mentors cites a term of “inner community”; the mental and emotional images we hold of others that have had significant emotional and personal impacts on our lives.  Over the quarter century this group has been held in my inner community.  So I wanted to express my gratitude to Dan for putting this together and to the rest of you for all of your contributions over the years.  I will continue to keep my own contributions sparse but know this board has been immensely vital to me for over a quarter century and my life has been enriched as a result.