Christmas

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

I Wonder Where They Are

With the advent of Facebook and other social media, we often find old friends and people who were once in our lives and vanished. Recently, an old friend from elementary school contacted me via FB, and it brought back a flood of memories. She now lives in the Midwest and continued her career as a beautiful artist. It got me thinking – I wonder what happened to so many people I once knew.

There are childhood friends who existed before I was in school – they lived in our first neighborhood. Patty, Susan, Mary Ann, Cindy – they were all a part of my early life. I just don’t know if they married or if they kept their last names. Then there are all my grade school friends. I can still see each of their faces, but I have no idea where they are now. We did so much together, and we truly did grow up with each other. Even when we went to several different high schools, we still got together for a long time. Eight years together meant certain bonds were formed. Our class had a reunion several years ago, and about half the former students attended. We vowed to do it again, but it never happened. I wonder where they all are now.

High school was where I made the most lasting friendships, and my classmates still get together. There were only twenty-five girls in my graduation class, and two have passed away. We lost all contact with one of them, and a few choose not to stay in touch. But we can usually rally about fifteen or so when we meet. Several of them are on FB, so we can stay in touch that way. Others have said they don’t like online social networking, but they do email. So, with the latter, there’s still ways of communicating.

Then there are the neighbors who have moved away and people with whom I worked. Every day I see a cross-stitch sampler made for me by a former neighbor. We were young adults together and had great times visiting, shopping, and going out together. She remarried and I don’t know her new name. The people I knew from the newspapers where I worked have vanished, but at least I know their names. Then teachers I knew, administrators who were in my life, and former students sometimes pop up online, and I can visit them that way.

The people in my present world are the ones I see regularly – phone calls, texts, email, and FB keep us connected. With them, I’m updated all the time about events in their lives. I love being in touch with them, but I wonder about all those others. Usually, people find ME; rarely do I go searching. But my wondering may change that. Would I want to rekindle past relationships? Would I want to meet in person? Would they be added to my present-day circle? Probably not. However, I would like to know just where they are and how they’re doing. Maybe it’s my turn to start seeking them out. I’ll give it a try!

Peace,

Muff

8 comments:

  1. i like fb to connect with family that are no longer in the area. i had a niece in alaska and fb was a great tool for us to keep in touch!! i really like fb for quick updates, it reaches so many people and saves hours on the phone!!!!

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    1. You're right about the time saver -- PLUS -- we can just click off -- no need for long good-byes!

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  2. FB has provided an opportunity to connect with multiple generations of cousins widely dispersed geographically. My high school contacts I keep up with lightly because, even though the high school has long since been torn down, some enterprising alumnae created a website. That and, obviously, blogging is what I appreciate about social media. Tweeting, texting, et al., not so much.

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    1. I don't tweet, but I do text on occasion. It's a little hard with just one working hand, but I can punch out a few quick words. Blogging keeps me in touch with all the friends I've made online, but my blog isn't well known. So, FB seems to be the way I can find people. We'll see.

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  3. Hi Muff. Have you tried Googling their names? You might have some luck there.

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    1. For some, yes. But the problem with the old friends is not knowing married names. Good to see you back here -- missed you!

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  4. My husband is his class babysitter. He has found almost all of them. A few remain hard to find. Good luck with your quest!

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    1. We, too, have one contact person. She keeps us updated. But that's high school, not like you and Far Guy who go back to grade school!

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