I have started using Facebook this year. It’s been great. It’s one more point of contact for the people I know and interact with at this stage of my life. The best part is that Facebook has afforded me the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends who I have lost touch with for whatever reason. I can’t help but wonder – what if there were no Facebook? Why did I lose touch with so many loved ones? What ever happened to cause those old friends from way back to stop calling or from me calling them? I am different now. Older. And hopefully wiser. To those who I could’ve done more to stay in touch with or who I may have offended long ago – I am sorry. But something larger is in play here.
As I have reconnected to my old friends from my old neighborhood in Philadelphia, reconnected to my former church members, reconnected to countless cousins and school friends, I realize I miss them. I miss having neighbors who call when they notice the light out back was left on all night. I miss those holiday dinners with family where it was too crowded to find somewhere to sit. I miss worshipping with people who I had relationships with outside of the church building. I miss that strong community I once enjoyed. The real question now is what am I going to do with this awareness? I can’t help but wonder – is this a long, sad look backward or a longing in my heart for what I know real community is? What I know for sure is that each and everyone of us need to be part of a strong, trusted, real-life community. Where do I begin? The only answer that matters – I must begin with ME. I can be sure that family and current friends know how much they mean to me. I can call my old friends from way back and say hello. I can visit with the now elderly ladies I once worshipped with at my old church. I can take that leap of faith and open my heart to new relationships with the people I worship with now. I can begin to organize the next family reunion or class reunion. I can get the word out when the old neighborhood is having the next block party. I can organize the same in my current neighborhood with the people who are now my neighbors. Big sigh. Maybe everyone is on Facebook. Maybe I can just post something to their wall….
