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my annual Christmas newsletters go out in several months. There was no time to update them while events were happening and, now that the crises appear to be near resolution, why bother upsetting them with "old news"?

Helium has become like a "second home" to me; its members are like an extended family - on a par with cousins and in-laws. I have learned more about some Helium members from writers' autobiographies, personal stories, religious and political views, and debate positions, than I know about many family members.

Members' stories, reactions, and feedback are in "real time." I can join in with a reply or I can simply watch some dramas play out and get resolved by other Helium members. I can participate in the public forums or communicate privately by member e-mail.

To fulfill my dream as a published writer with a byline, to join a Community of like-minded souls in a safe, friendly, non-flaming site, to earn stars of recognition and receive cash for my work, Helium is a virtual safe-haven for me to be myself among writing peers.

Helium's "Spirit" has been open, warm, and friendly. "Real-time" disclosures on a monitored site seem to create a "foster community."

It is the "Community" part that contains Helium.com's real Spirit, and that is the part that draws me here daily: my "home away from home" with my "extended family."

Learn more about this author, Karon Brandt.
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