Every once in a while I visit Eric’s facebook page. I look to see if anyone has left him a message or just to browse through his photos. Today I found something else there. There was a link I could click on to “View you and Eric”. So I clicked it. Up came a page with a picture of the two of us (and other family members) from Thanksgiving of last year. There was a list of the 15 facebook friends we have in common and copies of conversations we had had through facebook.
There was also the understatement of the year.
“You and Eric. Facebook friends since October 2007”
Um, I guess technically that’s true, but it so understates our relationship. I mean facebook wasn’t around when we first met and even if it had been, even if the internet had been, even if home computers had been, I’m sure my parents wouldn’t have been savvy enough to use it. Or maybe they would not have wanted us on facebook since birth, after all I’m a parent in the age of facebook and neither of my children have pages and hopefully won’t for a good long while yet. Although their pictures are featured on my and my husband’s pages.
If you look at the sparse information on the “You and Eric” page, you’d think we weren’t really that close, we didn’t really know each other that well.
It just goes to show you, you can’t trust everything you see online.
You bring up an interesting point that the emphemeral parts of love cannot be represented on the page or screen--but are much bigger and significant, and more true. Other people dealing with the loss of an older loved one may not have the experience you have because your and Eric's ages means you were both so connected with Facebook, etc. Liz--you're a pioneer in this, as much as I know you would not have signed up for that distinction.
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