My own MC memories with Bill

[MartyMuppets]

Bill: Hold on folks. Marty will be back to share some more of his story very soon now. I'm enjoying it just as much as all you are.

 

[wwfpooh]

Can't wait...

 

[MartyMuppets]

Marty: Now where were we up to Bill?

Bill: You had joined the Catholic Church and said that you moved out into a unit of your own Marty.

Marty: Ah yes, that's right. I settled into the Church well but I felt I needed to move out in response to the clashes with my family. Mum was very supportive of me and helped me make inquiries at a rental agency. We found a beautiful little unit not very far away from the family home. My good friend who had sponsored me for joining the Church arranged for a man from another Catholic parish in our city to help me move.

Bill: What does it mean when he sponsored you Marty?

Marty: He was asked by the parish council to be a companion for me on the journey through my education with the training team for people wishing to become Catholics Bill. He wasn't sure if he was the right person at first since I am much younger than him, but he said he prayed about it and felt led by God to accept the task. He also introduced me to the Welfare Charity Center of the St.Vincent de Paul Society and I've worked there with him and other friends of mine helping to distribute food to people who are starving due to falling into problems with their finance for whatever reasons.

Bill: That is wonderful Marty. You have such a good heart.

Marty: Aw. It's nothing Bill. I'm only a humble servant of God doing my duty to which He has called me. I am honour bound to help those hungry folk by the principles of the Bible which say I must treat others the way I would want them to treat me. If I were starving myself I would want others to give me assistance.

Bill: What you say makes perfect sense Marty.

Marty: And doing my duty to the poor really does make me feel good Bill. But we are digressing.

Bill: Right. So what happened when you settled into your unit Marty?

Marty: I loved it. It was a new experience for me Bill. I learned how to try handling my own life, feeding myself and paying the bills. Uh, no pun intended. (Bill and Marty both laugh) But sometimes I did get to feeling lonely.

Bill: Did you have any friends to visit you as such?

Marty: Not especially. I loved going along to my Church on Saturday nights for worship rather than Sunday morning, since I was out of the habit of sleeping well. They were very nice people, but in some ways I felt like I didn't really know them very well.

Bill: What do you mean Marty?

Marty: Well while I was still living with the family I thought it would be a good idea to start inviting my fellow parishioners around for a cuppa and chat one family at a time to get to know them better. I was going to move out after Christmas that particular year 2004, so during the time that was left after joining the Parish on May 23rd I wanted to give my hospitality to them so I could feel like I knew them enough to be able to have a small gathering of the folk for a Catholic housewarming party for my unit.

Bill: So what happened?

Marty: First Bill I asked a mother of two children who had recently split up from her husband. She said she'd keep it in mind and I didn't suspect anything. Then a few days later my sponsor came to see me to tell me that she had been talking to the Parish manager about what I said and things were not happy.

Bill: Goodness! What was the matter?

Marty: As it turned out she had been having personal problems I knew nothing about and had misconstrued my interest to make friends. But they explained the situation to her and we said no more about it. I could laugh about that incident and felt confident to try it again.

Bill: And how did it go?

Marty: I spoke to the male half of a young married couple asking the same thing after Church one night. I offered to give them my then address and phone number the next week so they could call me to arrange whenever they could come round leaving it up to them.
Well the following Saturday night I went to Church with the information written on a piece of paper. They weren't there, but I gave it to the grandmother of the couple's children explaining what it was all about to her. She promised to give it to them. I had no reason at all to expect another incident. But.

Bill: Oh no.

Marty: I'm afraid so Bill. After Church the next week I said hello to the man and this is what he told me. He and his wife would prefer to keep their friendship at Church. They were uncomfortable with me asking them to visit because when I gave the piece of paper to their relative I had specifically asked after the wife's health. Well I'd heard that she was ill and wondered if she was feeling better. But he said to me, "The attention you were giving to her asking after her concerns us. We don't want to know you in any environment other than meeting for Church. We are a married couple." I was flabbergasted and gave up all ideas of reaching out to my fellow parishioners after that second incident.

Bill: Wow. I can't think of anything to say Marty.

Marty: So I never had a housewarming party when I went to live in my unit Bill. I enjoyed going to Church to worship God, and they were all so very nice to me, but I felt like I really didn't know them properly. The majority were only faces I saw once a week on Saturday night. There was no genuine atmosphere of strong social harmony to my way of looking at it.
It made me really lonely by myself in that unit.

Bill: Oh Marty. Your story is so very sad in many ways. I deeply sympathize.

Marty: You bring a smile to my face Bill. Thank you.
So anyway now we come to the point of my joining MC at last.

Bill: Yes do tell my friend.

Marty: Well after moving sometime during February 2005 I spent my first year trying to come to full terms with my need to keep myself centered upon God and allow Him to help me fully heal my family relationships. Then as my second year in the unit was beginning one night I was browsing the internet and had decided to look at MC. As I was looking at the forum on 7th February 2006 the thought suddenly entered my mind that if I could communicate with these people, then I would have some form of company. I said to myself it doesn't cost anything to register. Nothing to lose. So I filled out a profile and after thinking about what to call myself decided to name myself after you Bill.

Bill: That is such an honour and privilege Marty. I'm delighted to be your most beloved Muppet character. I hope things were much better for you then.

Marty: They sure were Bill. But I need another break. Next time we'll be down to the actual part of my MC memories specifically.

 

[wwfpooh]

Awww, how heartwarming Marty. I agree with Bill in that you do seem to have a very understanding way of viewing the world. With that being said, I hope you continue to post more in regards to this retrospective.

 

[D'Snowth]

Aww, very poignant installment Marty, I can't wait for the rest!

 

[wwfpooh]

I can't wait either. I hope it is good...

 

[MartyMuppets]

Bill: So how did you find things when you first joined MC Marty?

Marty: I learned how to post messages very quickly Bill. I did take things very slowly to start with of course. I introduced myself as a new member and waited to see how things went. It was quite an awesome impression when I read the replies some of them made saying hello and welcome to me. I was amazed to think that I was making contact with people far, far away over in America, England and wherever. I'm sure you can understand how blown away I was considering I had never done anything like this before.

Bill: I can imagine how very exciting it must have been for you. It's so true indeed to say that the invention of the computer has drawn the world so close together, isn't it?

Marty: I agree Bill. I made many good friends through this fantastic medium and they made a big difference to my life in my unit. It wasn't long before I tried out Private Messaging and that really helped to foster friendships far more passionately stronger than only talking within the discussion threads publicly. Having your own personal discourses one to one does tend to cement bonds more closely than you may consciously realize.

Bill: That is quite true Marty. So who are some of the really special friends you've made here at MC?

Marty: There are many of them Bill. More than I could mention at once. When we come back I'll speak about a few and what they've come to mean to me.

 

[D'Snowth]

Ooh, this is getting exciting!

Can't wait to read more about your early days here on MC from your own point of view Marty (and with help from Bill Bubble Guy as well).

 

[wwfpooh]

Ooh, this is getting exciting!

Right. This is gettin' good, knowwhutImean?

 

[MartyMuppets]

Marty: To begin with Bill, the person I had most formed a very special bond to was Sara, known to our forum as ReneeLouivier.
It wasn't very long after I started posting that I realized her posts speaking about how ill she was and the hospital treatments she was having to undergo.

Bill: What was wrong with her Marty?

Marty: I've forgotten what exactly her condition was, but I don't think it was anything potentially life-threatening at all. But it was making her life very uncomfortable and she had to have some sort of medical care. I can't recall exactly, but I do distinctly remember how very sorry I felt for her and sharing some words of comfort and support along with her other friends in a thread while she was in hospital with a laptop for accessing the forums.

Bill: So did the two of you start conversing together often?

Marty: Yes we did Bill. We started exchanging plenty of PMes. It was all a combination of my kind words while she was ill and compliments upon her fan fiction series of stories which she was hoping to be able to publish as a book to give to her dearest friends at MC which drew us both together. Unfortunately she was beset with lack of co-operative responses from the companies she tried to write to for permission and we were never able to receive them. But at least they are still present for us to look at in the fan fiction section of the boards.

Bill: That's a real pity Marty. She tried very hard, didn't she?

Marty: Yes she did Bill. But never mind. She was very clever to write those seven fantasy epics featuring the Muppets. She even incorporated Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock characters into parts of the storyline. I was very proud of her for this.

Bill: And so you became very good friends with her Marty.

Marty: Correct Bill. I became somebody she could talk to about anything she ever wanted advice or comfort with or even just to generally chat. She invited me to sign up for my google e-mail account and we became as close as if we were family. Sara was my first forum friend who became just like a sister to me and she told me I was just like her brother.

Bill: Aw that's very nice Marty.

Marty: She even used to chat with me on gmail. Sometimes she would even talk verbally to me on microphones at her college library. I didn't have any way to talk back though, so I used to type while she was talking. It was interesting indeed. She wanted to hear my voice and so I budgeted to buy the appropriate set of headphones with the mike attached.

Bill: Then you could talk together right?

Marty: Ironically Bill, as soon as I had gotten all set up she left college and had no apparatus of that sort herself at home. So the situation was reversed with me talking vocally and her typing responses to me. LOL But at least we both heard what each other sounds like.

Bill: Goodness. That is kind of funny how it turned out, isn't it? So how is Sara nowadays?

Marty: Sara is engaged to be married and so I don't hear from her as regularly as I used to. But we are still good friends and occasionally exchange PMes or sort of talk in her thread that she started in tribute to her favourite Muppeteer Richard Hunt. I am not a majorly active member of the Richard Hunt Lovers Club (The RHLC thread) but I am making an effort to post in there from time to time. It is a great thread.

Bill: That was such a sweet testimony to your friendship with Sara Marty.

Marty: Thanks Bill. Next time I shall share another one.

Bill: I can't wait.