Random thoughts

Today my mind was wandering, as it is often prone to do, and after a little jaunt past "who are the Gideons anyway?", (a query I now have the answer to, but that is another story for another day), and headed straight on to wondering why I have become so involved in social networking like facebook. Until about a year and a half ago, I had never heard of it, let alone been involved in it. I had managed just fine without sharing the intimate details of my life with a large audience of captive, but willing, participants. I really do enjoy my solitude and tend to be somewhat of a hermit, so why did I embrace the notion of social networking? I think I hit upon the answer, at least for me. I feel like I have to preface it with a disclaimer for the benefit of my children, though. I want my kids to know that I will always have them, my memories of them, and my future with them. Of everything I have ever been or done, being their Mother is the most important thing. My life would be empty, in spite of a large circle of friends, without them. That being said, I believe there is nothing, not even chocolate, that is as comforting as an old friendship. Most of the people I associate with in my circle of friends knew me before I was somebody's wife, somebody's mom, before I was Jane the electrician or Jane the city councilwoman. I was just Jane, or Janey as my oldest friends call me. When my marriage of nearly 25 years fell apart and dissolved, I felt like a large part of my history had been erased in a moment, like deleting a photo from a digital camera. I would like to say I am progressive and modern, but I'm not. When that relationship ended, I had to let go of the memories and I lost most of the associations that were formed during those years. Of the few that remained, they were unalterably changed so that I often felt as though a large chunk of time had just vanished and left a large abyss. Then I found my old friends and although we had all changed, we shared common memories. I have a hard time remembering anything unhappy from those days, although I'm sure there were. Those associations were still there and some were even better. I was able to fill in the void in my life with comfortable old memories and share them with my new husband. He often feels like we have known each other forever because he has had a chance to share in some of those memories and experiences.

Thank you to my wonderful circle of old friends, family, and new friends who so willingly share their lives and experiences. I have learned that I am not alone. There are others who have experienced the same joys, sorrows, happiness and grief that I have and that mutual experience forms a bond that helps us survive and enjoy the world we live in.