When I joined Facebook, I had no idea what it was, but I signed up because I didn’t want to offend the friend who invited me. I had no idea that it would become a component of my business marketing. Nor did I realize that it would allow me to reconnect with people from my past. From the time I left high school until I settled in Hamilton in 1990, I went to university, lived in three different towns, and worked for a number of companies, and it seemed that each time I moved on, I left people behind. It is so amazing to me that I can now play Scrabble online with the girl I played with at recess in grade 3, see photos of the grown up children of people I knew in high school and university, and share news with people I worked with 20 years ago.

However, I realize that not everyone is like me. One of my clients left Facebook shortly after joining, not wishing to be contacted by certain people from her past. Others say that they have maintained contact with people they care to and aren’t interested in what the others may be up to. I respect that, and try to keep it in mind if I locate someone who doesn’t wish to reconnect with me. Interestingly, the same week that I contacted a childhood neighbour whose reply only confirmed that she was who I thought she was, and was clearly not interested in catching up with me, I received an email with the following words of wisdom:

There comes a point in your life when you realize
who matters,
who never did,
who won’t anymore…
and who always will.
So, don’t worry about people from your past,
there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.

If you’ve had a similar experience, keep these words in mind, and instead of fretting about it, be thankful for the people who are now back in your life (even if only online), and keep looking for old friends… you just never know who you may find!