Over the years I've acquired just over 300 "friends", although I made a deal with God not to go crazy sending out friend requests. I simply asked Him to send my way the people He felt could benefit by being connected to me in this way. It became a good way to share my weekly writings, and now is one of the links used to share my blogs.
As the "friend requests" came, I would sometimes wonder to myself, "Why in the world would this person want to be my friend on Facebook?" Then I would remember my arrangement with God and accept, provided I knew who they were.
Occasionally there would come a request from an unknown name, which I would cautiously explore using the "message" feature before deciding whether to accept. In one such instance, I gained a new friend who has become a weekly prayer partner via the phone.
A very special addition to Facebook was made several years ago when a graduate of our local high school created a group called, "If you grew up in or near Crosby, ND, you remember. . .". There are currently over 1,200 members of the group, and there have been over 1,700 pictures shared. The age span of those posting is varied, and it is interesting to see a common thread in all of our lives because of our connection to Crosby.
Once a part of this group, new friends were added to my personal friend list as old friendships were rekindled, and new friendships were made with those outside of my age category. What a blessing it has been to enjoy this very special "Crosby Connection".
To give you an idea of how small town roots affect a person, I will use the example of one of my Facebook friends who recently received a dire diagnosis from a CAT scan. The post began with the words, "I don't think I've ever felt as alone and scared as I do tonight". With no family living close by, they decided to share the specifics by way of a Facebook status.
Immediately, the comments started pouring in, and within the first day there were over 50 comments from people with ties to our community. There were many encouraging words, but among the most common were, "I'm praying for you" and "We're here for you". Today, in an update, the person extended thanks for all the posts adding, "I am blessed. And, I am most definitely not alone".
What is it that makes a small town connection so special? Perhaps it comes from growing up in a place where "everybody knows your name". Just last week someone shared a great article with our group entitled, "10 Ways Growing Up in A Small Town Prepared You For Life". Check it out if you want to further learn what we are about!
http://news.distractify.com/people/10-ways-growing-up-in-a-small-town-prepared-you-for-life/?v=1
No comments:
Post a Comment