Who do they really know?

Recently I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the names of so many friends from my past on Facebook. The happy memories these names have brought to mind certainly have made the days much brighter. With those memories came certain expectations, which I have realized, are unfair expectations.

These are people who have known me for decades, some actually since first grade. Shouldn't these people know me better than anyone else? Goodness knows, they have known me "longer" than any others! Then I realized, nope not at all. With the years of separation also came years of change, personality growth and life events that have changed, developed each of us.

Unless we have shared those changes through the years, how would we actually know each other? Our point of reference actually is our childhood, teen years, times when we had little control over our lives because we were under our parent's domain. How can that show us who we actually are now? What do we believe? What do we truly feel? How will we react to comments or thoughts shared by others?

Please don't misunderstand. Some of the best memories of my life have been with the names I seek on Facebook now. They are the ones I marched in the cold with; handed cinnamon Life Savers to; ran against as Art Club President; admired from afar; traveled to Denver City for youth rallies. These names truly helped forge the foundation of who I am now. I still wonder do they truly know the person I have become? How well do I know them as an established adult? What do I know about their "day to day" life or do I know anything?

Why is it, after all these years, we are seeking each other? The memories have certainly brought a smile, a sense of comfort, the feeling of belonging to something special - we all understand - because we lived it! Are we reaching for something we almost lost while "growing up"? Are we holding on to that sense of youthfulness that comes with stories of our teenage escapades? Who else is thankful for the extra years of life, considering some of the choices we made as teenagers?

Hopefully, with current technology, we can regain some of that "day to day" contact. Friendships will be refreshed while we gain an understanding of where life has taken each of us. How fortunate we are to have this wonderful resource to help us on our journey back to those special times and past relationships!