Facebook: pushed into it kicking and sreaming... in the end I LOVE IT!!

I understand all the concerns in regards to the break down of society that so many are murmuring about here lately.

I get it, really I do.

However, Facebook has been fabulous for me. Well almost. Okay so I have one slight problem. I LOVE IT. Not the gismos and games. No, that's child's play. I love the people. I love them so much I can't wait to "talk"  each day. The updated photos are just wonderful. The problem is maintaining Facebook can be a bit time consuming. This is why I took a three month hiatus a few months back. At first I really didn't think I would return to Facebook. However a few things changed my mind.

#1Sharing the music videos throughout the month of December had been so precious to me the year before last. I really wanted to upload a daily video once again. So I did.  It sOoOo blessed me that since then I have been fairly consistent in getting a video or two up once a week. I love encouraging others. I love sharing talented christian artists in a non threatening way.

#2 Facebook had become the information station for me. It was like using the yellow pages. Whether setting a status to ask a question, or "searching" I found the inquiry was likely to be discovered at location. I liked being a part of a community of people who could give me advice on a local dentist or restaurant and vice-versa. Very convenient. I wanted that resource back.

#3 Facebook was the new way to deal with events. Invitations, thank yous, class assignments for my children etc.. Much information trickles through.Unfortunately when I backed away for three months we missed several bits of information. Oops. I really needed to get back in the "calendar" loop.

#4 I know it's silly, but when I'd log onto Facebook and a flower or hug or what ever was sitting there waiting to greet me I'd smile from my toes to the top of my head. It was sweet. Yes I could live without it, but you know...

#5 Some really awesome people from my past have found me via facebook. I just loved that. I missed re-learning about them.

#6 1st a history lesson: I refused to even look at Myspace. I reluctantly started using my email account (maybe 5 years ago). Sometime last school year I was bullied into joining Facebook. When I submitted to that, a new band of people started hard core on the "let's get Charity to text...or even use her cell phone" campaign. They won. It's only been since like June though. I can clearly hear Jenny yelling at me early last summer,  "You mean to tell me Jeff bought you this really nice phone and you refuse to use it!" To me Facebook, email and text are the same animal. In the sense that you are visiting via electronics vs face to face. When I submitted to one it was easy to follow suit with the others.When I was off  Facebook I began receiving texts like crazy!!  I guess there was/is no escaping at this point. But. That's okay. I'd rather master myself then get rid of it/them.

because....

#7 Facebook had been a wonderful tool to see a little glimpse into the lives of all my people. To me it has been a relationship enhancer...not a stunt in relational growth.

Let me give you an example. Monica, my best friend from like 4th grade through high school found me via Facebook...last summer. After the total pick-myself-off-the-floor shock of it all we had some wonderful "talks". After catching up on life over the last 10 years or so we made plans for her to come visit my house. She was just as lovely as ever. She walked in with yellow flowers, my favorite color. We talked more, and more and more. We then decided to meet for dinner with her two sisters and her mother. It was a magical night. At a later date she and I met alone for dinner. Since then we have shared in at least 4 of her family gatherings. She has scooped me up and placed me right back into her family as if no time had passed at all. We have plans in the works for more fun times to be shared. I am so grateful that she found me. I have missed her so, so very much. I have enjoyed our long talks on the phone and in person. However as two busy momma's facebook gives us the ability to grab a moment to reconnect no matter the time of day. Can I just say that is big!

Of course Monica finding me and all that jazz is just an example. I have tons of great stories brought to me via Facebook. I just need to make sure I don't log on too, too much. I'm a work in progress, what can I say.