Is there a way of reaching out to some of the flutherers who were AWOL but have now returned?

It’s difficult @gailcalled. I’ve been PM’d in the past while I’ve been away. I found it sweet that people remembered me.

Maybe some people would find that creepy though? I don’t know.

I miss quite a few jellies, too.

If I was curious, I’d just ask the person personally in a private message. Then it’s up to them to respond and share as much or as little information as they want.

@Seaofclouds It can be difficult though, if say, we know that a person has a terminal illness or a member of their family does.

EDIT: this can be just as difficult in real life for me. I have a few family members that are married to people that are terminal. I subtly ask another family member…who usually says “I thought you’d know how he/she was doing”. I now try to ask the person directly how their family was doing. If that doesn’t produce an answer, I sometimes bluntly ask if there’s any new treatment news.

You could pm a Jelly who you think might know them.

I’m a little confused by this question. If they’ve returned, it seems easy enough to PM them. You know this, @gailcalled. So what are you really asking? Is this about asking a question so that people can welcome back people publicly? Who did you have in mind to welcome back?

@wundayatta: Good detective work. I am trying to ferret out any information available about Gary and Sherry, since they are not answering their PM’s. Sherry sent a quick question about roof contractors via her iPhone a week ago. And now silence.

They are a vital part of our little community and were wonderful role models for me.

They could be busy—either having fun, or the opposite. Do you know how Gary has been lately? If it’s a medical thing, they could be really busy.

@wundayatta: Knowing about ALS from personal experience, I fear the latter.

Knowing Gary, however,I believe he will squeeze any possible drop of fun that he can out of the situation.

@gailcalled I agree with you, and I share your fear. But what can we do? Others have disappeared for a while while they dealt with medical problems that seemed incurable. If they do not choose to contact anyone, all one could do, I guess, is to search the death notices in that person’s town. If you happen to know their real name, that is. Otherwise, I suppose, you ask a question like this to see if you could find someone who has information.

There is a policy here against asking questions about specific jellies. However, this place is supposed to be a community, and that means that people want to know about fellow jellies even when those jellies are not around. Perhaps there should be a way to ask for information or share concerns. Perhaps a new protocol could be developed that would allow people to share concern, but would not be allowed to turn into popularity contests. Just a thought.