#67 Connections

I was at my computer doing some research on sun protection for the eyes for a news interview I did, when I decided to take a break and check facebook. Facebook is always urging me to reconnect with people or send someone a message. Once I was sitting next to a “friend” in a shared office when facebook told me to reconnect with him. I decided to do it in person instead and we both got a good laugh. When I clicked over to facebook tonight, it asked me if I wanted to be friends with Eric.

When Eric died a lot of my friends found out through facebook. I posted a statement on my wall and on Eric’s. The outpouring from the facebook community was and still is amazing. So many people sent me messages or comments. It didn’t matter if we were close or ever had been close. It made me realize that I have a much bigger support group than I ever knew; and every little bit of it helped. Most of you would never have seen this blog without facebook. I still get messages about the blog, or just people checking on me. Almost everyday someone from my past or present contacts me about Eric. I love it. It’s another way of keeping him alive. Some people share their memories with me, and others are just learning about Eric. I welcome them all.

Even the facebook staff has been great. They kept Eric’s page active so his friends can still visit it, but they stopped those reminders to reconnect or send him a message. Every once in a while someone will post something on his page. It’s still painful, but every once in a while I will check it.

I had forgotten that Eric had another facebook page. I think we all did. In another funny email Eric sent us a screen shot of his facebook home page. Facebook was suggesting that he “friend” himself. He apparently had created a page with an old email address and then forgotten about it and later created the page that he actually used.

It was that other page that popped up on my facebook page. I clicked the button to add him as a friend. They’re going to send him a message asking him if he’ll confirm that I am indeed a friend. We can’t officially be friends until he replies.

I’ll wait.