I have friends in real life

Really I do. I feel compelled to mention that because everytime I write about one of my 'online' friends, or people whose blogs I read- I feel just a little bit like a loser- like I spend all my time getting emotionally involved in the lives of people whom most likey I will never meet. I can't help it though, I am an emotional person. My husband does not understand why I get so upset about people who I 'don't even know.' I disagree. I DO know them. Probably better than some of my real life friends. When you write, you reveal in words things that would take a much longer time to come out in real life.
Emilie's blog is one I have followed for quite some time. She has a 2 year old and a 7 month old. She was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma while pregnant with her second, and has been undergoing all sorts of treatments. The prognosis was not good. You see where this is going, right? http://lemmondrops.blogspot.com/
One of the things that happens when you follow a story like this online is that it becomes kind of like reading a book or watching a movie. You see only what they show you. But because you read their thoughts, you know so much more than what any movie would tell you. You get , well, at least I get emotionally involved.
When Emilie wrote ( he second to last post- actually her last , as her husband wrote the last one) that she was entering home hospice, you don't know to brace yourself for what comes next. I think thats why when I read she had passed away, it was like being punched in the stomach. It hit me hard. And as a mother, forget it, I can't even imagine what it must feel like to know on some level you will not be there to watch your children grow up. That you will never hear their laughter again. That they might not remember you, the way you read to them every night, or how you kissed them every morning. The little Mommy Traditions: things that are important for you as a mother to do for your children( new PJs every Christmas eve, balloons in their room on every birthday morning)
What is it like for a father to explain to a 2 year old that mommy is gone ? I just can't even bring my mind or heart to imagine that.