Today is Saturday and I have not been on my blog for many months because life has been so incredibly busy. We were deeply affected by the freak February snow and ice storm here in Texas and we have been dealing with the destruction left in its path. We are beyond a year now into the Covid 19 Pandemic, dealing with lockdowns and face masks and limited gatherings with loved ones.

I quit Facebook a while back because I wanted to be free of (my) perceived obligation of having to post and comment on a daily basis. I worried a little bit about dropping out because I thought that I would lose touch with everyone I knew on Social Media. I actually did lose touch with the majority of my fb friends, but I have also discovered the pleasure of an engaged precious few who were getting in touch with me by other means. Gosh! To think I actually did matter to some after all! What an ego tripper! It was also a gratitude growing phenomenon in the making!

The decision to break free reminded me of a time, LONG ago, when our family was about to move to yet another new location due to my husbands career, I sat across from a friend discussing this move. She said to me, “You will be surprised at who stays in touch with you or reaches out to you. It is not always who you think it will be either! Just remember, the cream always rises to the top”. I found this comment to be prophetic and never forgot it. Indeed she was absolutely correct!

I thought I would be mourning the loss of many fb “friends” but instead, I was blessed to see who was actually invested in ME as a person. It wasn’t many, that’s for sure, but the ones who contacted me by snail mail, text, IM, phone and email, really did turn out to be the cream! It is difficult to pull back from Social Media because we humans are such social creatures. However, in my case, I discovered the value of truly connected kindred spirits at a heart level. I guess it is a bit like finding the prize in the cracker jacks box! Lol! (No disrespect intended). It has been a huge blessing! Now, with a small group of “compadres“, I actually have time to share thoughts and have intellectual conversations rather than an endless supply of sound bites that don’t mean all that much!

In this past year I have learned to “let go” of things that no longer serve me. I have always been the type of person who would hang on to people and things for sentimental reasons, probably long past their expiration date. I have especially been this way with family members. In my mind, if we were family, it meant we were bound to one another forever. I have discovered that even in families, some are more invested than others. You realize that letting go may actually be a gift to both parties.

Recently I mailed a large envelope of old pictures to someone who I thought would enjoy seeing them. I actually mailed this person two large envelopes of photos. I got no response. I wasn’t really expecting a response, because this person stepped away from the family long ago. When I had it ready for mailing, Al said, “Why bother?” I said, “Because it is always good to do the right and kindly thing and then let the chips fall where they may”. The chips fell on the side of silence. Well, o.k. then….good to know it is ok to let that one go! It frees up a lot of emotional space for someone who may be interested in that spot and can step in to it.

Value is always in the content and NOT in the numbers. I would far rather have one seriously interested and invested friend than a whole host of “fly by’s”.

Tomorrow is Easter! What a great gift we have been given by the One who is REALLY invested in our future and our well being! I love Easter and the significance of the greatest gift ever given to mankind!

This weekend I get to see my children interact with each other for the first time in a year and a half. This is the “second greatest gift” to their father and me.

I want to thank those friends who remembered me and let me know they still care. I want to thank our son who drove all the way across the country a few days ago to visit with his siblings and to help us clean up our landscape after the history making Texas February snow and ice storm! How grateful we are to be parents to someone who is that sensitive to our needs.

Darkness to light is manifested in so many soul enriching ways.

Happy Easter everyone! We are eternal souls and I am glad to have made your acquaintance. To others I have not met yet, our acquaintance is a distinct possibility. One just never knows!

With love, Jjb

4/3/2021