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And well, the other Surge... The one that when far away from these gorgeous Falls, when sitting at home in my pj's with a heart that's happy or sad or panicked or frantic about something or other. This source of beauty and comfort was designed by Alice Stamm, a wizard of computer technology even when it was in its infancy. Alice began the site that has been a lifeline to women around the world - a place of beauty and sustenance that has seen women arrive like weary soldiers returning from battle. Shell-shocked, frightened, lonely, and very far from home...
You think I'm exaggerating? I am NOT. Although in modern media for women it remains a Big Hush-Hush, as though we must still be living in Victorian times, the truth is that for thousands of women, menopause is profoundly unsettling. My own was hell. HELL. And so one day five years ago, I weepily typed a list of frightening symptoms into google, and well, it brought me home.
Home is Power-surge.com. Begun by Alice in the 1990's, it's gone through (and continues to go through) numerous configurations determined by current computer technology, but the heart of this home does not change. It is a place of welcome, and one is met at the door by Alice's big wide-open arms, and yes, we fall into them. Alice's site represents hours of research she gathered and organized into categories user-friendly to women who aren't particularly computer-savvy. One can look up "internal shaking," or "numbness," for example, and I'm betting you had no idea these are not uncommon symptoms of menopause...
For years Alice conducted Guest Chats with some of the most prominent doctors, researchers, nutritionists, etc., in the field of women's health. These are still archived, and although Alice for personal reasons has not been able to offer the chats for awhile, their information remains current and relevant.
And then, there are the Message Boards. And here, I wish typepad offered smiley-face icons, or hearts, or some other way I could convey the smile that is present on my face. I have met amazing women on these boards, women from cities and hamlets and European countries and Australia, for heavens sake. I have laughed and cried and wept and raged with them, and far from inhabiting a virtual world, they are Friends. We share news of grandchildren, our cats, the breakdown of our cars, or of our hearts.
One of the joys of traveling (and yes, this is a travel blog!) is meeting some of these Sisters, the "Sisters of Da Surge," as one of the girls puts it, in person. Our trek to Texas last year brought me to a dinner table with Boyzmom; I've met Chriscarol in Connecticut, and Joline and 1Shopper, right in Maine.
Our husbands, who've now been given the moniker of "Surge Brothers," also had lots to chat about, leaving Arla and me to share so many of our feelings about Power-Surge, the ultimate one being that it has brought us hope at the lowest point of our lives.
Tomorrow, David and I drive to Toronto, where we will meet yet another Power-surge Sister, Dotcalm, and I'm beside myself, truly. Arla and her husband will join us, and it will be a Surge Session to beat all!
And I end with a dedication to Alice Stamm, a most extraordinary woman. Alice, I don't think you truly know what you have done. Women come to your site and express that you've saved their lives. You saved mine. I thank you, Dearest, with all of my heart. The voyage that brought me Home to Power-surge was the most important one I've ever taken.
Thank you.