...on the passing of a friend
Interview with Sharon Griffin
By G Richard Anderson
8 Dec 2008
Q: Who is this about?
A: This is about Sharon Griffin (Maineeact).
Q: How do you view yourself?
A: This is what Sharon had to say about herself in the profile section on her page.
"I am fortunate to live in a beautiful part of coastal SC where the scenery is always changing. I'm addicted to JPG and learning a lot from others here and look forward to meeting more. All comments and suggestions are welcome.."
'Winter is an etching,
Spring a watercolor,
Summer an oil painting,
and Autumn,
A Mosaic of them all'
-Stanley Horowitz
Q: What is the most important thing to you?
A: (Rather than write her story here, I would like to ask that anyone who became familiar with her work leave a comment. Maybe something she said about one of her photos or about one of yours. She valued each and every one of us as friends.)
Q: Why post this now?
A: Many of you may not know that she passed away in Myrtle Beach, SC on December 3, 2008. It was a tragedy and a shock that we are still trying to cope with and understand. Her photographs were of her life and the world around her. She also posted on other sites and I am sure there will be links to those.
Q: Why I am posting this as an interview?
A: Because there are many parts of her life that require the words of her friends. Please add your thoughts and images... so that we can celebrate what she brought to each of us on this site and in her life.
A PASSING
Helps us to honor the life
Of someone we care about
Provides a setting for family and friends to
show love and support for one another
Encourages us to embrace and
express our sorrow
Is one of the few times love is given
and not expected in return
Is an occasion for us to say good-bye
emotionally and a beginning to heal
Remembering the person I have called friend
allows me to slowly heal.
Healing does not mean I will forget.
Actually, it means I will remember.
-(unknown)
13 responses
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Patty Gross said (8 Dec 2008):
I want to thank you so much for your fantastic effort in establishing such a lovely format to which we can offer comments we've received from Sharon, or just tell our feelings about her and how knowing her made such an unforettable impact on our lives. Here is a little message I received from Sharon after we adopted our little greyhound mix, Drzl. I think Sharon expressed how much she really loved the member here on jpgmag, and also enjoyed this website intensely:
Subject: Hello Patty from Maineeact!
Howdy Dear Friend-
Drzl looks as if she's going to make a wonderful companion to both of you. Love and patience, which you both have, will conquer any former baggage she may have.
I've been camped out here at JPG mainly for the last month, developing it, working it and getting established within an artistic and small group of creative photogs.
I'm so glad you introduced me to JPG because they seem, for the most part, sincere without a personal agenda. I hope to see you more on here and find it as rewarding as I do.
Write soon, (when you can let go of the leash, Ha-ha)!!!
Luv ya,
Sharon -
Oregon Curly said (8 Dec 2008):
We will miss Sharon's kind words and funny quips about our photos, and we will also miss her great photographs, and herself.
G., you have done a wonderful, touching tribute for her, thanks. -
Litz Go gave props (8 Dec 2008):
I will miss Sharon, we were just getting to know each other starting with Curly sightings. We exhanges a few emails and from there I knew that she is a warm person.
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Rob Roy gave props (9 Dec 2008):
Sharon will be missed dearly. I believe she treated each of us in a similar and special way that made us all feel she was our best supporter here. She was unique and VERY special!
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G Richard Anderson added a link (9 Dec 2008):
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Judy Wanamaker gave props (9 Dec 2008):
Her passing gives her last posting of her favorite "chair" the kind of poignancy we like to avoid. Without physically meeting us, she touched our souls with her kindness, sense of humor, and her sweet perception of her world. Through those things we knew her, and loved her. I miss her. God, please comfort those who are grieving for Sharon.
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Sherry gave props (9 Dec 2008):
I too hadn't known Sharon very long. She was always very nice in her comments. She had a great sense of humor and you could tell she enjoyed taking photos of everyday life.I'll miss not being able to get to know her better
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Susan Littlefield gave props (9 Dec 2008):
My contact with Sharon was fairly recent....within the past month or so. But I was drawn to her immediately because of her incredible sense of humor. We exchanged some very funny messages, and she always brought a smile. She most definitely enjoyed being 'Nutball#9"! I'll miss her. Thanks, G, for a wonderful tribute to a remarkable lady.
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Kathy Hardin said (9 Dec 2008):
Thank you too for your regular input on my feeble attempts at pho-toging! Some folks have hundreds of contacts but I believe in quality instead of quantity. It's the only way I can learn. In these dog days of summer, dawn and twilight are the only times I can get out, so I try and stop by your page and a few others often for inspiration. I'm never disappointed!! Your shots are truly inspiring.
Best always,
Sharon G.
This is a email I got from Sharon, I could always count on her to stop by and I will miss her a lot. She really cared about her contacts, she was a warm caring person. This is a nice tribute to her, I am sure she would love all the thoughts everyone has expressed, and that she would be happy to know how many of us she affected. -
Deborah Downes gave props (10 Dec 2008):
Though my contact with Sharon was brief, I miss her. We shared a love of coastal SC (for years I had a condo in Mt. Pleasant). I always appreciated Sharon's thoughtful and humorous comments. I so wish I'd known her more. My heart and a prayer goes out to her loved ones. Thanks G. for the moving tribute.
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david ong said (10 Dec 2008):
Sharon became my contact shortly after i joined jpg, i was always amazed by her humor and kindness....
I really miss her old avatar, the gentle smile and friendly face, i still remember it so well....
She posted a guitar for my b-day that brought tears to my eye, i told her thank you and she said i deserved it. I was touched...
Her last post was a bench in her garden, instead of telling her how beautiful the photo was, i asked permission to sit down with her, cause thats was what i really wanted, and she said yes......
Sharon, how can i forget a friend like her? I know for sure, where ever she is now the angels with take care of her.
May be one day when we meet again, i can sit by her side.... -
Renee said (11 Dec 2008):
This tribute is such a wonderful testament to this site. Not many of us have met face to face but we still feel an incredible sense of loss at the passing of a friend. She was a beautiful soul and I'll miss her humor. Thank you G for your love of Sharon and your thoughtfulness.
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Lynn H said (11 Dec 2008):
Beautiful tribute to a dear friend, Rich. I guess what I miss most about Sharon is our late night talks on IM. She always made me laugh. I still kind of look at her name on there (can't delete it yet) and expect her to pop up anytime. When Sharon talked to me on the computer, I could FEEL her smile and her hugs. I will miss her for a long, long time.
