From left: Ally’s partner. Cup of Joe Leader Allie and Emma. and Emma’s partner.
Cup of Jo readers are known to be great storytellers. We asked our readers to share their favorite “come to the blog, stay in the comments” moments…
On Finding Friendships:
“After a flurry of meet-and-greets with readers in the wake of this post, we — Ally and Emma — had never met before, but decided to go for a walk. The next Tuesday, we were both going to the same small town on the same plane.So, we had a friendship matchmaking party in 3 days and it was time for an overseas trip!We went to the beach and a baby sea turtle was born. We witnessed the release and took pictures of the sunset together as if we had known each other for years (pictured above). I love to share, and I’m always amazed when someone says, “I met you through a comment on my favorite blog.” — Allie and Emma
“I went to a NYC gathering for people who responded to a post about making friends as adults. To fellow readers who recently moved to the city and want to start a wine club, Years later our wine club still runs monthly we come from different fields and if you hadn’t commented on that post years ago you would meet Thank you forever.” – Lauren
About words to remember:
“Years ago I read comment About how water makes everything better. Whenever I’m sad, I take a shower, cry, or drink a big glass of water. It works 99% of the time. — Hannah
“Any time I return a shopping cart in a parking lot, I think:do it for larry— Lisa
About Book Bonds:
“A few years ago there was a post about a book, and at the end there were hundreds of reader-favorite comments. I used to read an average of 2-3 books, now I’m averaging 20. Thanks for broadening my horizons, CoJ.
“Both my parents were going through cancer treatment when my kids were toddlers, and it was a very difficult time. I started reading the list. game of hateAfter reading them, I started reading the books recommended in the comments. I felt supported by a community I could trust. — Kate
About wedding planning:
“My then-fiance and I found our first dance song in the comments on Cup of Jo! crowded table Highwomen’s song got me hooked on the uplifting chorus and great lyrics. This song means so much to my partner and I right now and gives our marriage the perfect vibe. — Juliet
“While planning our wedding, I was looking for reading material that wasn’t a Bible verse. I came across this verse post. Deep in the comments, someone mentioned a sip of eternity By Clementine von Radix. The first time I read it, I sat at my desk at work and cried. My mother read a poem during our ceremony.I always remember how her voice caught in the last few lines.If it weren’t for the wonderful Cup of Jo readers, I would find this poem Couldn’t have done it. — Joanna
On coping with grief:
“We lost our first baby to congenital heart disease 3 days after birth. I was there. It resonated with me, and I shared in the comments that I am a single mother. It may feel alien to extend kindness to yourself, but it was a lesson I desperately needed. increase. — Kelsey
“I work with stage 4 cancer patients, and the deepest comments I have ever read were on posts about grief. Above, I have changed the way I handle difficult situations with my patients. When someone experiences loss, I share these posts with them. They care about me and the people I care about. It made a big difference to me.” — Tricia
About the best relationship advice:
“Five years ago, I was struggling with the decision to have children or not. I came across a post that said, ‘I don’t know if I want children.’ How do you decide?” I perused the comments section for hours, late into the night. I felt friendship with people I had never met. The breadth and depth of response was incredible. As I read, I felt compelled to do something I had never done before. I copied some of the comments and pasted them into my own notes. To me, they were treasures and the idea that they couldn’t be easily revisited was unacceptable. Found my voice and heart in these handpicked comments. These comments resonated with me because they were in line with a decision I had made in my heart. I now have two wonderful children and definitely know I made the right decision for myself. I will always be grateful to the CoJ community. -Lauren
“A reader named Meg once commented, ‘My mother expressed love like a light. For some people, it’s like an electric switch. Boom, light! For others it might be like a sunrise, you won’t be able to tell at first, the light is coming so gradually that you barely notice it until suddenly you find yourself in a perfectly bright sun! A big love in my life was sunrise. But my last “light switch” love really broke me, so my heart was tender and tentative. I felt at ease. He is kind, patient, and encourages me to be my messiest, most imperfect self. I know it sounds cheesy, but I’ve come back to this comment a few times and was immediately reassured, “It’s okay if you don’t know.” We are still together and I quoted this his CoJ comment on my his 2nd anniversary card and called him my “great sunrise love”. — Sonia
In the cheer section you need most:
“The Cup of Jo commentator has been there for me through the biggest moments of my life, giving me warm hugs when I didn’t even know I needed one. I remember reading the message. director. I commented that I was on my way home to take a pregnancy test and was nervous. Come check it out, the pregnancy test came back positive. Fast forward a few weeks before I gave birth to another “How are you?” post. When I expressed how nervous I was about giving birth, I again got a response from more loving readers wishing me well. — Julie
“I wrote this comment down and put it on the wall above my desk. It always makes me feel good and reminds me to generously support everyone’s moments big and small.” — Julie
What’s your “comments welcome” story? We’d love to hear from you.
PS 10 and 12 pleasant reader comments for the funniest reader comments.
