Blowing you all a big kiss!

I love being a member of different communities. When I’m in my friend Linda’s elegant yarn shop, working on a sweater, I instantly become part of the knitting community. When Adam is teaching me how to stand on my head, I’m part of the yoga community. And when I go with Max to hear Esperanza Spaulding, I’m a member of the jazz community.  Successful communities create a wonderful sense of belonging, and instill a sense of pride in their members. It’s wonderful, for example, to live in a neighborhood where everyone takes meticulous care of their homes and is friendly, or to get the support and encouragement of a community like AA or Weight Watchers if you have drinking or eating problem.

Everyone in the web business constantly talks about creating a strong community on their sites, but creating a sense of togetherness is easier said than done when people don’t know each other and have never laid eyes on one another. Mark Zuckerberg had a brilliant idea, but Facebook is no more a community than the world. It’s made up of a zillion communities.

FOF is on its way to becoming one of the strongest communities on the web for the most fantastic generation of women in the history of womenkind.

“This is the only site I visit regularly. It is so great to find some place that is focused on things that are pertinent to me. Thank you for a great site. Keep up the good work,” said FOF Charlotte.

“This is a fun website. It’s like being in a club,” said FOF Rosemary.

“Thank you for making such a F-U-N website. I look forward to your messages. Keep up the fantastic ideas,” said FOF Lisa.

“I always look forward to seeing what new ideas, info, style you will be posting next at Fab website. I love it,” said FOF Marissa.

“Great site, love the ideas and giveaways. I find it very informative and fun. Keep it going,’ said FOF Diana.

“I’ve loved this site since I first discovered it. It’s a daily must read! Always fun, informative, and a great place to win some really cool products! I’ll take you over Facebook any day!!!” said FOF Gina.

It thrills me to read these compliments from my peers because FOF strives to be everything they say, and more. We want the site to be as entertaining, smart, witty and wise as the women it represents. FOF will never replace being face to face with each other, but if we can build a strong community in this new world of communications, we’re doing our job.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words and support.

Katherine MacPherson is what you’d call “a find.”  She is a marvelous photographer, a talented graphic designer and a poised and classy young woman. Oh, she’s pretty and petite, too. She’s only 25, so you can imagine what she’ll be like when she’s FOF. We didn’t actually “find” Katherine. She was recommended to us by Joanna Goddard, another exceptional young woman who has created one of the most wildly successful blogs on the web. Anyway, Katherine designs our compelling FOF newsletters, photographs many of the women you see on the home page and on our stylish Style Blog and is one of the driving forces behind the look of the site.

FOF designer, Sharon, and our cupcake display (courtesy of FOF writer Sara)

We gave Katherine a little surprise party today for her upcoming marriage, which is March 26.  We asked about her honeymoon (Paris), her bridesmaids’ dresses (J. Crew), the drinks they’ll serve at the wedding (wine and beer), and how many guests will attend (about 250). As Katherine joyously opened our gifts from Williams Sonoma (a set of steak knives and a set of cheese knives), I couldn’t help but think about how much has happened to me, and the world, since I opened gifts at my own wedding shower, in 1968.

It is exciting for Katherine to have so much ahead of her. And while I sometimes wish I knew at 21 what I know now, that might have made for a pretty dull life.  I hope Katherine and her soon-to-be husband, Chad, have a many years of health, happiness and rich experiences.

When FOF Rona was about 13, she and her brother, Bobby, were awoken in the wee hours of the morning by noises coming from the adjoining hotel bedroom. They were away with their mother for a summer week in the country. Their dad was back in the city, working. Rona and Bobby tiptoed to the door that separated the rooms and gingerly opened it a tiny bit. There they saw their mother in bed with another man. Horrified, Bobby returned to his bed, but Rona quickly dressed and ran to the hotel lobby to call her father to tell him what happened.

When Rona and Bobby returned home, their dad called them together and pointedly asked if they thought their mother had had sex with the man (remember, this was over a half century ago, and many of us didn’t know what sex was until we were 20!) They answered “yes.”

The incident was never discussed again. “My parents stayed married but things didn’t seem to be the same after my call,” Rona remembers.  “I know my father loved my mother with all his heart when they married because I read the diary he wrote on their honeymoon. We have no idea if he ever told her what he learned, but it changed their relationship forever.”

Rona’s first husband ran off with another woman and she’s always afraid her second husband will do the same. “My mother was a self-absorbed woman, which affected my self worth,” Rona told me. She will never forget that summer night, long ago, in the hotel room.  She only wishes she had talked to her mother about it before she died.

My friends at genconnect.com invited me to write something for them about Jane Russell, who died yesterday at 89. I was six when the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes came out in 1953, but I remember watching Jane and Marilyn (as in Monroe) and deciding I thought Jane was prettier. Maybe it was because I identified more with her looks since I had dark hair.  That’s how six year olds think. I’ll be  six plus 58 in a week, and I still think Jane had it all over Marilyn. Check out my thoughts about Jane and tell genconnect yours.