I’m conservative about who I allow as a friend on Facebook; I only “friend” people I know in real-life. Because of this I am continually blessed by all my wonderful Facebook friends. They encompass a wide spectrum of humanity… singles, couples, working, retired, professionals, family, spiritual mentors, and many brothers and sisters in Christ. The following is by no means an exhaustive list… of some of the people I know on Facebook… and of some of the ways they bless me:
To all my friends who are singles… thank you for sharing your mercurial ups and downs, selfies that you will probably regret one day, bar adventures, ball games, concert pictures, Vegas weekends, and latest crushes. I may not agree with all of your life choices, but I love your enthusiasm and love of life.
To all my friends who are couples… thank you for the never-ending stream of kid pictures. Keep them coming, as I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen every possible shot of kids at Disneyland, water parks, or the beach. Actually, it’s pretty amazing to watch your kids grow up… with so many facets of their lives covered by social media.
To all my friends who are working… thank you for full coverage of seminars, retreats, and business conferences. Finding you in conference pictures brings back fond memories of “Where’s Waldo.” It’s great to see you in happy poses with co-workers, but trust me when I say that dissing the boss or the company you work for on a public forum WILL come to a bad end.
To all my friends who are retired… thank you for the constant flow of grandchild pictures, snowbird travels, and strange bucket list doings. I suppose I’ll be right there with you if I ever get to retire. Since I swore I’d never go back to the refrigerator box under the overpass, I’ll probably be working well into my nineties!
To all my friends who are professionals… thank you for not wasting my precious Facebook time with constantly asking me to LIKE your business, professional organization, or inappropriate website. Actually, I know that you are far too busy recommending skills for each other on LinkedIn to update your Facebook much anymore.
To all my friends who are family… thank you for constantly inviting me to share your Farmville or Candy Crush addiction. Thanks for posting disturbing pictures of me at raucous family gatherings! Happily, since virtually all of these cell phone portraits are blurry, I can easily disavow any association, and clearly claim mistaken identity. Exceptions include the stunning pictures my daughters post of themselves, their husbands, and my amazing grandsons; photographic genius! Like, like, like, like!!!
To all my friends who are my spiritual mentors… thank you for planting seeds in my life. I love you for never giving up, for getting a message to me, for faithing on, and for calling me to harvests. You bless me in ways you may never know. Thank you!
To all my friends who are brothers and sisters in Christ… and know that you cover the entire spectrum of people I call “friends”… thank you for your encouragement, your edification, your love, and your prayers. More often than you know, you are a light in the darkness for me.
So, wherever you fit in my list, thank you for being in my life. Thanks for the good and the not-so-good, the amazing and the mundane, and thank you for adding light, color, and interesting texture to my life.
With much love and many blessings,
YBIC,
Dave
