Thank You Facebook!

I haven’t blogged in about a month. My doctoral program keeps me super busy and so does wearing a trillion hats at my middle school. Honestly, I haven’t felt “inspired” to write in awhile. Well it finally happened- something to scream about.

When I was around 6 years old, my mother who was recently single and struggling to get back on her feet financially sent me to live with my grandmother and grandfather on my father’s side. My father and I are not close since he left when I was 5, and has been popping inconsistently since that time. While staying with my grandparents, I became extremely close with my aunts and uncles, all who were around my age (give or take a few years).

Diana, was my favorite. We were about a year apart and I remember playing with her for hours endlessly. We played with dolls and dollhouses. We spent hours pretending to be princesses, playing school, and scouring the neighborhood for hidden treasure to play with.

After some months, my mom returned for my little brother and I. I only saw Diana a couple of more times after that. For whatever reason, the connection between my mother and grandparents dissipated and I Diana became a memory as a result. I never forgot her and about a year ago, she emailed my mother out of the blue. As it turns out, she had been looking for us!

I immediately emailed Diana. I tried to give her details about the last 30 years of my life. I sent her some pics and emailed once a week. Finally, I suggested she get a Facebook account. You see I didn’t mention that Diana was born hearing impaired so I can’t “talk” to her in the traditional way. She signs well and can read lips. I thought Facebook would be a great way for us to stay connected effortlessly since she can read my updates & pics the minute I post them.

When I suggested it at first her response was a simple ” I don’t have a Facebook account”. I emailed her a few more times, explaining how easy it was to set up a page and that she should try it since pretty much everyone on Earth has a page. No response. Then yesterday I get a message on my phone, ” HI Tracy, I’m on Facebook and I’m so happy to see you”! I’m pretty sure I screamed out loud, and shed a tear or two.

My grandparents have both passed on, and my family on my mother’s side is pretty broken. I’ve always wanted to be one of those people with a large, loving family that gets together to celebrate holidays and takes cute family pics that end up as postcards. I suppose that wasn’t my path. I cannot control other people but i can control what connections I make and maintain and Facebook helps me to do that. Thank you Facebook, for helping me to find Diana again! Now, time to take the sign language class…..