The Sign

Once again I would like to extol the virtues of Facebook:
1. If it were not for Facebook, I would not have reconnected with so many of my wonderful friends from back in the day; and for today in particular I am referring to my friends Jeff and Joyce (brother & sister;) who I met through my friend Judy; who I grew up with in the condos. I spent a lot of time at Jeff and Joyce's house my senior year of high school and I became close with their mom and dad as well as with them. We lost touch for many years, but, thanks to Facebook, we have all met up again AND when I spoke to Joyce for the first time in forever; she told me that her mom and dad had actually moved to Arizona a few years ago; and as it turns out, I only live about a half an hour from them.
Well, I promptly reconnected with their mom & dad and my kids and I met them for lunch on Saturday (Luis wasn't able to make it because he was getting my brakes fixed.) It was so amazing to see them. It felt like no time had gone by at all, even though it's probably been 18 year since I've seen them. I was so proud to have them meet my children and I felt privileged to have my children meet them.

2. If it were not for Facebook, my brother and I might not be getting along as well as we seem to be getting along right now. Typically our relationship is tenuous at best, but Facebook and reconnecting with all the condo alumni have given us some common ground and some very good laughs; and I am really thankful for that. So Saturday night,we were instant messaging each other on FB, and he writes "You know there's this invention; and it's called the phone." And 2 seconds later he called me. I think we were on the phone for about an hour just laughing and kidding around; and while we were talking he told me about this photo of him with ridiculous 80's rock band hair. I was familiar with the picture and encouraged him to post it on FB for a good laugh; and much to my surprise, he agreed and put it up. He then shared the picture that I have posted above. This is a picture of my beautiful, mother and Richie Howell. I decided that I was going to post this picture on my Facebook and I am so glad that I did, because the response has been overwhelming.
3. If it were not for Facebook, I would not have received the most wonderful , heartwarming comments from people who knew my mom when they were growing up; nor have shared their memories which have been so honest and touching. Anyone would be proud and delighted to be remembered the way that people remember my mom and it is a true testament to who she was.
With that said, these comments could not have come at a better time, because today is My mom's birthday. It would be easy for me to sink into a dark, sad place, but instead I choose to revel in everyone's praise of my mother and celebrate who she was. I even had a little chat with her, and OK; a good cry. I told her how much I missed her, and how I felt like I kept making mistakes and that I wanted to keep trying to be a better person; and then I asked her for a sign that she thought I was doing a good job because I needed to know that she was proud of me.

So when I got home, I checked my email and there was a message from Barbara (Jeff & Joyce's mom;) and part of what it said was "It was a JOY to spend the afternoon with you and your Wonderful children. Hopefully next time we can get to meet Luis. One thing I can tell you for sure is that your mother would be very PROUD of you and how you are raising your family." Oh my god; well I guess I got my sign. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't believe that she could give me what I needed and asked for so quickly; but that's a mother for you - always looking to heal her child and make everything better for them. (Did you get chills; because I sure did.)
I am so grateful to everyone on Facebook who has commented on my mom's photo and I welcome all of your comments as well. If you ever get a chance to stop by my Facebook page, just take a look at the comments and you'll see for yourselves that everything I have portrayed my mom to be is 100% accurate and then some. My mom was a Great LADY with a presence that was undeniable. She was warm and kind and funny and cool - to quote most. I have made a commitment to myself to follow in her footsteps and honor her memory by emulating her example.
I am so grateful that Facebook has brought so many thoughtful, kind, souls back into my life.
I am ever so grateful to Barbara for being the vessel for my mom and for sharing her warmth and kindness with me and my children. And I am thankful for all of the friends who have tried to support me today and make sure that I was OK . Your love and compassion make me feel like the richest of women.
Please remember that life can be short and we need to make the most of it while we can; so don't sweat the small stuff and think about the greater good.
Till next time...
Queen of EVEYTHING