With the recent news of SLC closing I wanted to write why I opened a room here.
For me it was personal. My mother had suddenly passed away. I was grieving and nothing was helping me to feel better. A few friends of mine owned room and after a lot of thought I decided to open my own. The room name came easy to me. The Gates of Heaven. A room that I created in her honor to help me move forward. GoH is now 11 years old and will be 12 when the site closes. I am actually deeply saddened by this news. So much so that it's hard for me to keep it together. My room started out on Dark Realms Chat before moving here and even in those years that I wasn't chatting much I always made sure to pay so I would never lose it. My friends rooms have been gone for many years so my room became everyone's home.
I have so many fond memories on both DRC and SLC. Even opening a private room that I use almost daily. I have made many friends here over the years, most of which have moved on to other sites or just stopped chatting altogether. I held many events in GoH including avatar auctions, birthday parties, and trivia nights. I know there is now less than a year left but I will make the most of that year and continue to honor my mom in any way that I can.