Do you remember long ago when if you wanted to place a phone call you had to dial the operator and ask her to dial it for you? Now, I was quite young and it is barely a memory but an email I received recently quickly bought it back to me as if it was yesterday. The email is about old telephones, the connection between a young boy and the telephone operator and the good old days.  The writer reminisced about how much it meant to him to pick up the phone and hear the familiar voice on the other end of the phone. It meant so much that he would often call the operator when he just wanted to talk and even when his pet bird died. Their relationship made a huge impact on his life.

When I read that email, I was reminded of how the evolution of technology has allowed us to move away from the simplicity of connecting from the heart and then something really amazing happened!

Around the holidays, I enjoyed the opportunity of leisure time at home and used some of that time on Facebook to search for family members that I have not spoken to in years. Our family like many others is now located all across the country so you can imagine what a joy it was to find one family member after the other.

What began as a search has blossomed into a virtual family reunion with a Facebook Group and new relatives joining the group everyday. I was guided to go through my grandmother’s keepsakes that she gave to me right before her transition in 2002. I haven’t been ready to explore them until now and this was the perfect time.  It is a treasure of pictures and letters that are over 85 years old, war ration cards and other memorabilia. It is as if this reunion was waiting for time and technology to merge.

Reconnecting and talking to people you haven’t spoken to in over 35 years and reliving memories long forgotten has a way of reminding you of who you are. Just like the familiar voice of the phone operator, it feels so good to see the familiar names and faces of loved ones as I travel throughout my day. How has Facebook, Twitter or other social media helped you to reignite relationships of the heart? I would love to hear your stories!