---
layout: post
title: Grieving Asynchronously
categories: personal
published: false
---
I wanted write a blog post criticizing impersonal ways to express condolences,
but as time passed and I tried to refine my ideas I realized it wasn't a bad
thing after all.

We did this long before the internet made it easy.  We sent flowers and wrote
letters when the distance was too far for a personal visit.  These days we post
on message boards and comment on walls, but the drive remains the same: I can't
be with you, but I want you to know that I'm thinking of you, that I'm grieving
too.  It's healthy, as long as it isn't a shallow substitute for being there in
person.  Synchronous and asynchronous both have their place.

Perhaps this is one reason why people hunger to believe in God.  He will always
be there.