UPDATE: Saturday, May 13, 2023 · 2:43:07 PM +00:00
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Kysen
Thank you, all, for the kind words. Writing this was cathartic in and of itself, but, seeing/hearing from some of the folks she adored has warmed my heart.
That having been said, I probably should have made this request in the body:
If you recognize Ricki (either through my words or hers), please keep her anonymity. She wrote from a raw and honest place, and sometimes wrote of family. While she loved her family dearly, some of her words may now be painful if they were to read them. She was was fiercely protective of her anonymity...please continue to protect it now.
/hugs
It is with profound sadness that I write this. I debated with myself whether or not to do so, but decided that there are enough of you out there who would want to know.
‘Ricki’ (username sricki) , passed away about a month ago. Ricki was not her real name, but it is the name we all knew her by when she was active on MyDD, DailyKos, and Motley Moose.
She wrote about being a Liberal in the Deep South. She wrote about Mental Health. She wrote about Women’s Rights and LGBT Rights...she wrote about Human Rights. She was a fierce advocate for those who suffer. She fought for those often overlooked by society. Her life was spent helping those who most needed help. She was a licensed counselor. She worked first with children/adolescents, then with adults struggling with both mental illness and substance abuse. Through tireless hard work she made her way to Director of Substance Abuse at a large non-profit. She saved lives.
She was also one of my dearest friends. We ‘met’ on MyDD during the Hillary/Obama ‘wars’. She was fighting for Hillary, I was fighting for Obama. And, yes, we fought...but we always kept it good natured and, along with a couple dozen other ‘good natured’ folks, we joined forces once Obama won the Primary to form Motley Moose.
During the the (many many) discussions leading up to the creation of the Moose we communicated first by email, then by AIM/Yahoo chat programs...then by Skype, Discord, and Zoom. Our ongoing conversation went far beyond politics and covered just about every topic under the sun. We spoke almost daily for 15 years. She was a friend...a confidante, and yes, often times a counselor. She was a wonderful woman who gave so much to so many.
From the very beginning...we laughed. Lord how we laughed. We laughed in mirth, joy, frustration, and sadness. We always tried to find a reason to laugh...even when life hurt. I will forever miss her laughter.
The Moose gang kept us sane during the Obama years. So many wonderful folks (many of whom y’all know from here as well)...Dee, Spiff, Brit, Blask, Kellen, Stipes, and so many others. She loved and respected you all so much. The Trump years were hard. Neither of us much participated on the blogs, but we maintained our daily conversation. We wept when Trump was elected...and wept again (for joy) when Biden won. She kept me sane during the Covid lockdown. Literally. She saved lives...mine was one.
She fought for those with mental illness so ardently and effectively because she struggled with it herself. She did not succumb to it, though, her passing was natural and quick. There is comfort in that, but admittedly not much. I am struggling with what to say...with how to say it. She was an amazing woman...I do not have enough words to describe how much she meant to so many.
She was happy. She loved her family. She loved her friends. She loved her cats. She loved her job. She loved knowing that what she did made a difference. She was looking forward to so much. The last thing she said to me was “I love you”...it was also the last thing I said to her. I cannot think of anything else I would have wanted her to hear more. They were also the last words said/heard by her family, by her best friend, and by her favorite co-worker. She did not hesitate to say “I love you”, felt it was important to never hold those words back. She knew she was loved...by me and by so many others.
She is mourned by many. Family, friends, co-workers, clients, and her sweet kitties (they are being kept together and well-loved)
Read her diaries. She was a gifted writer.
She was an amazing friend.
She saved lives.
