*I'm thinking perhaps I should make this simple, short, and sweet but it's really difficult for me to do that and feel any sort of satisfaction. So here you are--my version of a grand THANK YOU essay/letter with a flourish!*

I'd been on ApricotPie all of six months when that essay popped up on the homepage. It was closing. Replies were varied--resignation, resilience that we must stay open at all costs. I was one of those in-betweeners. I didn't want it to shut down, but there wasn't really anything I could do except offer a halfhearted protest. I wasn't like some of the others, who had been on here for years and years--since its doors opened.

I completely agree. Although I respect Ben's decision, there has to be some way we can resolve this without the result of AP shutting down. Can't we do anything about it? There must be some way...

And then this:

My stomach literally dropped when I read that. This is so sad! Isn't there something we can do to keep this going? I understand you have to pay for something like this, but why don't we ask one of the people that have been on here for awhile to maybe start, I don't know, a free google group or something to continue it? This is unbelieveably sad. I've only been on here a few months, but Apricotpie has been so, so important to me. It's improved my writing emmensly and I've enjoyed so many other stories on here because of it.

I'd just hate to see something like this end...

:-(

I can't express how important AP has been to me. And if we can't continue something like this. thank you so much!

And that was my brilliant input. Sad smileys and all.

I always say how 'funny' things are when they change, but really I suppose it's natural. Now if I was to be told Apricot Pie was closing, my message would be drastically different. Somewhere along the lines of, "No! Please don't! I'll do anything! I'll take it over if I have to!"

If it had closed--and it's a scary thought now, knowing what I know--where would my writing have gone? I honestly can't imagine any growth at all. Not like it has.

I wouldn't have come to be ingrained in what I kind of consider our little group here on AP. And hopefully everyone's okay with me saying it. (That group being Me, Erin, Maddi, Kassady, and little woman...we all seem to comment on each others' things).

Then there are the wonderful people like Kyleigh, who I've debated with in the past (I probably should have just left it at...agree to disagree, haha, but my young heart wouldn't let me. ;) but still continue to comment on a lot of my things and cause me to jump around happily. There are so many people on here of so many backgrounds, with countless differences, but the one thing we all seem to have in common is acceptance for one another.

There's Megan (Lucy Anne), too, who commented on every single one of my Reaching Rachel chapters and offered critiques and really just encouraged me. Oh, and then there's Bridget, who read all the chapters of my horrid "It's Not That Simple" and commented and actually liked it, which must have been quite a feat. I get excited every time she posts, although now it's less often than it used to be. Plus Sarah, who pops on in here every once in a while and offers me a comment that leaves me smiling.

Sarah Bethany as well, who's writing never ceases to amaze me. She seems some much older than wiser than we are in her writing, and yet we get compliments from her. It's craziness. Her words are always encouraging!

Then we certainly can't forget the guys, who kind of surprise me every time they chime in on my stuff, because it seems so gender-specific to me. But they're open to reading all sorts of things, I suppose, so their comments are always nice to get. I'm talking about Leinad K. Romethe, Arthur, Benjamin, Aalen Fideli.

Then there are all the new people--Flying Past Clouds, Miaelé Rydar. You guys have already commented on some of my stuff and I've read yours. I can't wait to see what you have in store!

And then, of course, James. Who saved this site. And I thank you for that. Because honestly--where would I be??? I just don't know. And perhaps even scarier--where would all of you be? Maddi would have never joined! Lucy never would have! Erin would have never commented on my Alarming Amounts of Everything! I wouldn't have read little woman's awe-inspiring, relatable poetry!

What I'm saying is: Thank You. To everyone. To James. And especially to Kassady, who I've pretty much left out until now for the sole purpose of saying THANK YOU FOR BEING MY BEST FRIEND! Thank you for countless hours of fun! And thank you for recommending the site to me, because it's changed my writing forever. It connected us, certainly, through our writing.

I mean, what would have happened that day if you weren't googling Apricot Tarts and stumbled across this site?

What then?