Another revelation

Well, I made another personal contact today.  I invited my sister-in-law, who lives very nearby, to come, with her dog, to the dog park with me, the boys and our dog Sparky.  She agreed!  After some clarifying directions so that we were at the same place, we met up and she had brought my two nieces as well.  It was so good to see them!  Even though they live close, things are always happening that make it difficult to get together.  I was very glad they showed up! 

I also have a lunch date planned for tomorrow and another on Tuesday, with a possible coffee date (even though I don't drink coffee.  It will most likely be hot chocolate.) on Monday.  Not to mention going to see fireworks with our church and some friends that we invited tonight.  I've very excited about my initial progress.

That led me to a revelation.  Not a revelation really, I guess, but the reminder of a truth.  It's not the THING itself that is bad (usually), but how you use it!  Guns, in and of themselves, are not bad, but bad people can use them for bad things.  Alcohol is fine in moderation, but bad if misused.  The same is true for Facebook.  It was ME that was using it as a way to stay connected with people without really talking to those people.  I, and I alone, allowed it to take the place of personal contact.  I became lulled by the ease of reading what everyone else was doing so I didn't have to ACTUALLY talk to them.  Wrong, of course!  And something that I have begun, and will continue, to correct.

Facebook is actually a great way to keep up with people, if used in the right way.  I've learned of births, deaths, marriages, etc. through this online tool.  I recently even got Atlanta Braves tickets (amazing seats!) from a local friend that I don't really see much.  It is a great connecting tool.  I was reminded of that today.

As I already posted, something amazing happened on Facebook today that helped me realize this as well.  I got on Facebook to check birthdays.  (Happy Bday to my pastor's wife!)  Low and behold, I saw a posting from the Gwinnett Braves (my love of baseball and former workplace) advertising the weekend's events.  (Please note first that we were already planning on attending a Gwinnett Braves' game on Saturday, July 5 because my friend's daughter will be singing the National Anthem.)  I just happen to notice a picture of Ric Flair, the WCW/WWE wrestler, on the ad.  Knowing my family's LOVE of wrestling, I HAD to check it out.  I discovered that Ric Flair, who my husband has followed for years, was going to be at Coolray Field and throwing out the 1st pitch.....AT SATURDAY'S GAME!  Further investigation revealed that tickets could be purchased that would include seats in a luxury suite, food, AND A MEET AND GREET WITH RIC FLAIR!  That was a no brainer!  I immediately texted Steven to tell him about it and he said, "Go for it!"  So I did!

Thanks to Facebook, my kids and my husband will be meeting a wrestling legend that they have watched and adored for years.  My kids were SO excited when I told them!.  Elijah got up and danced around.  JJ fell face first into the couch.  And Zach jumped up and hugged me, tears (yes, tears...he's very emotional) streaming down his face as he kissed my left cheek, then my right, and back to the left...over and over again.  THAT was worth it!

So now I will continue to use FB to keep up with friends, especially those who are out of town. But I will be much more proactive in using it to get together with friends and maybe even make new ones.  Thanks for your patience and I stumbled through this process.

So, off to see some fireworks!